Abstract: Twelve growth models with 3 parameters were used to simulate the volume of Korean pine plantations in the Changbai Mountain region of Northeast China.Data for model construction was based on forest resource planning and design inventory of 1078 subcompartments in Jilin Province.The functions with the highest correlation coefficient (R²)and lowest root mean square error (RMSE)were used to compare the different models,enabling biological significance to be assessed via extrapolation.Results revealed a pattern of “slow-strong-slow” growth for Korean pine.Models developed by Richards and Gompertz proved to be superior to others in simulating the Korean pine growth with higher accuracy and better biological significance,yielding growth curves displaying a typical “S” shape characteristics of slow-growing tree species.Annual increment model was got by derivation on volume growth model and it showed that the annual increment of Korean pine plantations reached the maximum near the age of 29a.The effectiveness of volume growth models at depicting the growth process of Korean pine plantations suggest their utility for predicting forest growth as an aid to optimal forest management in Changbai Mountain region.

Key words: growth and yield modeling, forestry database, forest resource planning, design and inventory, subcompartment