The work described in this article forms part of an exploratory study whose aim was to determine the main aspects of the autecology of ash ( Fraxinus excelsior L.), sycamore ( Acer pseudoplatanus L.) and cherry ( Prunus avium L.) in Wallonia (Southern Belgium). The potential productivity of these species was studied using the site index approach (the height a crop achieves at a given age) which is the most widely accepted means for estimating size quality. As a first step, a set of site index curves were constructed from stem analysis and semi-permanent plots data using the Johnson (1935) and Schumacher (1939) model for ash and the Duplat and Tran-Ha (1986) model II for sycamore and cherry. For ash, dominant height achieved at age 50 is related to various soil-site characters (through adequate multiple regression analysis) in order to make the predictions of site quality applicable to both forested and non-forested land. Furthermore the sites expressed through soil attributes are classified in 'a site catalogue' for each species according to their productivity level.