Scenario analysis of planting density and pre-commercial thinning: will the mixed forest have a chance?

In the establishment phase, several management alternatives could be applied that affect the species composition of the future stand. In this study, tree seedling data from experiments with planted Norway spruce ( Picea abies L. Karst) and naturally regenerated species, mainly Silver birch ( Betula...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:European journal of forest research 2016-10, Vol.135 (5), p.885-895
Main Authors: Holmström, Emma, Hjelm, Karin, Karlsson, Matts, Nilsson, Urban
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Analysis
Betula pendula
Biomedical and Life Sciences
Birch trees
Evergreen trees
Forest Science
Forestry
Forests
Karst
Life Sciences
Mixed forests
Monoculture
Original Paper
Picea abies
Pine trees
Plant Ecology
Plant Sciences
Planting density
Seedlings
Skogsvetenskap
Species composition
Studies
Thinning
Ungulates
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Summary:In the establishment phase, several management alternatives could be applied that affect the species composition of the future stand. In this study, tree seedling data from experiments with planted Norway spruce ( Picea abies L. Karst) and naturally regenerated species, mainly Silver birch ( Betula pendula Roth), were used for six simulated pre-commercial thinning (PCT) scenarios. The scenarios included both monocultures and mixed stand alternatives with various initial spacing of the planted Norway spruce (0, 1600 or 2800 seedlings) and selection of main stems based on relative heights. Further stand development and individual tree growth were simulated until final harvest. Potentially, based on findings of the seedling measurements, the stands could be mixed with five to six species, but the browsing pressure from ungulates reduced this possibility since the height growth for all species except Norway spruce was highly affected by browsing. The simulated mixtures had a small variation between the PCT scenarios for the maximum mean annual increment (about 10 %). Although the growth was similar for Norway spruce, the proportion of birch in the final stands differed from 3 to 21 % between treatments and none of the high-density planting treatments generated a mixed Norway spruce–birch forest at the time of final felling.
ISSN:1612-4669
1612-4677
1612-4677
DOI:10.1007/s10342-016-0981-8