ABSTRACT Forest road network plays a key role in shortening the response time of firefighting activities. Therefore, evaluation and improvement of the ability of firefighting of the forest roads are essential. The widely used travel time criterion evaluation showed that firefighters can reach the areas of fires by walking and carrying portable fire equipment. However, the firefighting capability provided

ABSTRACT The effect of site preparation (mixed mounding and removal of the humus layer) under a shelterwood of mixed boreal forest along a forest interior-edge gradient on Norway spruce (Picea abies) seedlings was studied two years after planting. Mounds had a positive effect on root development, ectomycorrhiza formation and the absorption of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) in the seedlings, and augmented

ABSTRACT Human intervention in global nitrogen cycling has led to excess reactive nitrogen (Nr) flows to the environment, impacting terrestrial ecosystems as well as the quality of the atmosphere and waterbodies. This paper presents the results of a study that quantified and compared the main flows of Nr through forest land and wetlands in Latvia and Estonia using substance flow analysis approach based

ABSTRACT Women have been historically underrepresented in the forest sector. Given a graying workforce, there is a significant opportunity to diversify the sector via a younger generation entering the industry. To a large extent, the gender situation in the forest sector is influenced by the education of employees in the sector. Therefore, it is beneficial to know the perceptions of women student leaders

Controlled crosses were made on clones in a seed orchard and the pollination bags were kept on the branches until the cones were harvested. Cones after open pollination were collected at the same time. Seedlings from the controlled pollinations, from open pollination of the same maternal parent and from commercial provenances were grown in growth chambers and terminal bud set was recorded after short

Phenotyping of genetic resources that are used for development of new improved and adapted forest reproductive materials is costly. Therefore, high-throughput-phenotyping from a standard equipped unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) with a RGB (red, green, blue) camera was used to develop a canopy height model (CHM) of a dense field trial of 15-year-old trees of Norway spruce. The site represents a typical

A survey of the native parasitoid community was conducted to characterize its possible use as biological control for Asian Chestnut Gall Wasp (ACGW) at two sampling sites in northern Spain. To this end, 500 ACGW galls were collected over five sampling dates between May and July 2017; 250 of them were dissected to estimate the parasitism rates and the remaining 250 galls were placed in emerging rearing

In this study, we aimed at investigating carbon and nutrient concentration in litterfall components and calculating the weighted concentrations. Then, we estimated the annual carbon and nutrient return to the forest floor through litterfall. The study was carried out in even-aged stands of Pinus brutia in Antalya, in the South-Western part of Turkey. The litterfall samples were separated into five

Effects of species composition on the growth of Norway spruce – Scots pine mixtures had earlier only been studied in unthinned stands. Individual-tree thinning responses in mixed stands were studied to test for the presence of mixture effects in more open stands. Data were collected from 28 temporary sample plots with varying species proportions in 7 thinned spruce-pine stands on medium fertile sites

This paper presents an economic assessment of two different policies – both implying an increased demand for forest ecosystem services – and how these could affect the competition for forest raw materials. A forest sector trade model is updated to a new base year (2016), and then employed to analyze the consequences of a more intense use of bioenergy and increased forest conservation in Sweden. These

Knowing credible records of harvested timber is in the interest of the forest owner, forest entrepreneur and timber-sector stakeholder. Therefore, the objective of the research was to determine the share of unrecorded Norway spruce timber volume in length allowance on the total timber volume produced by harvester technology in Czechia. We analyzed 176,980 merchantable logs (total volume of 10,333 m3)

Wood as a renewable construction material presents positive human health, well-being and sustainability-related features. Several studies have indicated its lower carbon footprint compared to the main alternative construction materials and its physiological and psychological characteristics have positive impacts on human health. The objective of this study is to investigate how young adults perceive

Logging and forestry have traditionally been seen as a purely masculine sphere. The aim of this study is to analyze women’s introduction into and situations in the forestry sector in twentieth century northern Sweden. We interviewed 30 women who worked as cooks between the 1930s and the 1960s, and examined written sources. We found that driving forces behind the emergence of a system involving forestry

This article aims to understand policy change by analyzing the external and internal events as well as actor resources, actor beliefs and coalitions. Empirically, we have selected the Swiss forest policy system and analyze two consecutive Swiss National Forest Programs and the related revision process of the forest law between 2004 and 2016. Exploring pathways of change according to the Advocacy Coalition

In temperate mountainous regions, altitudinal clines in tree size and growth habit develop from a gradual adjustment of multiple traits to tolerate harshening conditions with altitude. We perform a common garden trial with seedlings from two stands of Nothofagus pumilio: low altitude, tall forest (1200 m a.s.l) vs. high altitude, shrubby forest (1560 m a.s.l), to determine whether the contrasting growth

Current cultivation and breeding strategy based on selections from local and wild vegetation does not meet the hazelnut demand. This situation would benefit from the development of high-yielding cultivars with greater tolerance to abiotic and biotic stress conditions. Molecular markers are useful tools to support these breeding efforts. In the current study, EST-SSR markers were developed from RNA-sequencing

Tree biomass models are increasingly needed for the estimation of carbon storage and for testing and parameterizing process-based growth models, but most biomass models have been estimated using data from even-aged stands. Here we took measurements from individual Norway spruce trees grown in uneven-aged stands in Southern Finland to characterize tree structure and to estimate the biomasses of tree

Choosing traits for breeding requires financial and genetic information. This study introduces a theoretically sound and empirically detailed assessment setup for analyzing two traits from the financial perspective: decay resistance and tree growth. The analysis is conducted in two stages: first (1), a stand-level optimization analysis is applied producing maximum bare land value with the presence

Information about social aspects of forest is frequently collected with questionnaire surveys. Several countries conduct nation-wide surveys in order to monitor outdoor recreation and the relationship of the people to the forest. While this gives a representative picture of the respondents’ preferences and activities, it is not possible to link their answers to the real characteristics of the forest

A method for simulation of distributions of structural timber properties based on geographical data and stand-level forest inventory data is presented. The method is based on Monte Carlo simulation of randomly selected sites from volume distributions of standing timber, in our case from the Norwegian National Forest Inventory. Simulation models of density, modulus of elasticity and bending strength

The use of log construction is increasing in Finland. This development is desirable for ecological and economic reasons. However, due to changes related to the technical properties of logs and their overall popularity, introduction of novel building typologies and urbanization in general, it is unclear how the public currently experience logs as a construction material and technique. Thus, in this

ABSTRACT This study focuses on the persistence of gender inequality in Swedish forestry education. The many strategic documents stand in contrast to the experienced inequalities depicted in the forest sector’s #MeToo movement. Both #slutavverkat and the open letter, written by female students, describe harassment and sexist behaviour. Theories about the culture of silence and bystander behaviour –

Controlled crosses were made on clones in a seed orchard and the pollination bags were kept on the branches until the cones were harvested. Cones after open pollination were collected at the same time. Seedlings from the controlled pollinations, from open pollination of the same maternal parent and from commercial provenances were grown in growth chambers and terminal bud set was recorded after short

Identification of stocktype attributes that speed up field establishment has potential to reduce rotation time of Christmas tree productions. Such morphological and physiological attributes can be targeted in the nursery production. This study tested the effects of container type and nursery seedling density on stocktype attributes at planting and the effects of these on field performance over two

The small fir bark beetle (Cryphalus piceae) was discovered in Denmark in 2012. Since then, several local outbreaks in greenery plantations have occurred, with numerous dead Noble firs (Abies procera) reported. The aim of this study was to investigate the life cycle and behavioral patterns of C. piceae in Denmark, compared with a literature review of the general life cycle. Currently, C. piceae has

The Christmas tree industry is mainly supplied with seeds from natural stands and genetically improved germplasm from clonal seed orchards (CSOs). Chalcid wasps (Megastigmus spp.) have a negative effect on the value of seedlots by reducing the quantity of viable seeds and represent a risk for national and international seed trade. Seed radiographies, field observations and seed-dissections from 25

ABSTRACT Norway spruce (Picea abies) is a widely used Christmas tree species in the Nordic countries. Postharvest needle retention is an important characteristic for Christmas trees and compared to many fir (Abies) species, Norway spruce has poor postharvest needle retention. This trait is one of the most important qualities in choice of natural versus plastic trees. In this study, current year shoots

In temperate mountainous regions, altitudinal clines in tree size and growth habit develop from a gradual adjustment of multiple traits to tolerate harshening conditions with altitude. We perform a common garden trial with seedlings from two stands of Nothofagus pumilio: low altitude, tall forest (1200 m a.s.l) vs. high altitude, shrubby forest (1560 m a.s.l), to determine whether the contrasting growth

In integrated pest management (IPM), the goal is to keep the impact of damaging agents below a threshold level with reduced pesticide use. The present review is focusing on IPM of fungal diseases and Phytophthora root rot in Norwegian Christmas tree plantations. Healthy transplants are of vital importance to give the production a good establishment. Sanitation of diseased material and weeds is also

Ecosystem accounting is a coherent framework for integrating measures of ecosystems and the flow of services they provide to the national accounting of economic activity. Here we focus on the accounting of cultural ecosystem services, particularly, nature-based recreation in open access conditions in Finland. The aim is to improve national capacity to proceed to ecosystem accounting by illustrating

Growth data from 15 progeny trials were analyzed to assess realized and expected genetic gains associated with improved Norway spruce (Picea abies Karst.) stock in southern Finland. The study materials included 257 seedlots originating from 9 wild stands and 17 seed orchards. The measurement data were collected between 22 and 30 years of age. First-generation seed orchard progenies showed a clear superiority

ABSTRACT A new stand-level growth and yield model, consisting of component equations for stand volume, basal area, survival, and dominant stand height, was developed from a dataset of long-term trials for managed thinned and unthinned even-aged Norway spruce (Picea abies (L.) Karst.) forests in Norway. The developed models predict considerably faster growth rates than the existing Norwegian models

A new stand-level growth and yield model, consisting of component equations for stand volume, basal area, survival, and dominant stand height, was developed from a dataset of long-term trials for managed thinned and unthinned even-aged Norway spruce (Picea abies (L.) Karst.) forests in Norway. The developed models predict considerably faster growth rates than the existing Norwegian models. Further

Uneven-aged forest management has attained increasing popularity. It may benefit biodiversity, buffer against pests and abiotic damages, decrease runoff from clearcuts and improve recreational values. We studied how gap cuttings and single-tree selection cuttings influence browsing damage in spruce-dominated forests in south-central Finland. Overall, browsing damage was especially frequent in aspen

Nitrogen fertilization can increase above- and belowground forest growth and carbon storage in low nitrogen (N) environments. However, it may also induce changes in other parts of the ecosystem, such as altered composition and diversity of the ground vegetation. These changes may occur, for example, because of increased availability of nitrogen and light depletion due to a denser tree canopy. We studied

ABSTRACT The concept of woodland key habitats is well-established in northern Europe, denoting sites in the forest landscape with particularly high biodiversity. In Sweden, woodland key habitats have been inventoried on individual forest owner’s land by the Swedish Forest Agency since 1993. Recently, various actors have questioned the woodland key habitat concept and its policy implications. To investigate

Modeling diameter distribution of forest stands requires suitable function(s) with the appropriate parameter estimation methods. To date, the parameters of most familiar functions in forestry have been estimated with derivative methods such as moment, percentiles, conditional maximum likelihood, etc. with little emphasis on numerical optimization. Therefore, this study compares the suitability of derivative

ABSTRACT Forest social values has been put forward as an umbrella term for a new and less material relationship between people and the forested landscape, a relationship that more recently has become a policy issue. In this case study we explore how forest-related values are conceptualised in the case of Dalasjö, in Vilhelmina, Sweden, where a recent process involving determining protection for social

ABSTRACT The impact of historical and present drivers on biodiversity, particularly species richness and abundance, in afforestation areas concerning non-native tree species is still poorly understood. A better understanding is important to ensure appropriate forest management in the face of climate change and increasing demand for wood products. Here, we have reviewed 75 biodiversity studies in Sitka

Vegetatively propagated hybrid aspen (Populus tremula × P. tremuloides) is one of the fastest growing tree species in Finland. To study clonal variation in element concentrations in wood, bark and branches, and the amount of elements bound in above-ground biomass, seven clones were selected from a field trial in Southern Finland, when the trees were 13 years old. Significant clonal differences in the

ABSTRACT Establishment of biorefineries for processing forest biomass in the Nordic region is extremely costly due to the high investment, running, and procurement costs. Procurement costs could be reduced by allowing all actors to open access to all available terminals in an area (regardless of ownership) and allowing trucks with higher gross weight. These impacts of changes were evaluated for deliveries

Increasing the forest's productivity is a global concern and there is a need to develop innovative technologies. The use of biochar (BC) in the restoration of degraded sites is mounting. Therefore, to assess the effects of rice straw biochar (BR) on soil physicochemical properties and physiology of Fokienia hodginsii, a one-year greenhouse pot experiment was conducted. The soil was mixed with BR at

Community-based energy initiatives have been regarded as a promising way to guide people toward a more sustainable future. We analysed whether the members of Finnish forest bioenergy co-operatives (FOCOs) are readier for the sustainability transition than other forest owners (n = 10 for both groups). The data were gathered using an interview about forest-related change and a survey about climate change

A study of carabid assemblages (Coleoptera, Carabidae) was performed in pine stands disturbed by windthrow (Lipusz Forest, North Poland) in 2018, i.e. one year after the disturbance, in five treatments representing different classes of disturbance severity: least disturbed stands (canopy cover of 60–80%), moderately disturbed stands (canopy cover of 20–40%) and severely disturbed stands (canopy cover

In Sweden, there is a lack of knowledge about nature conservation management (NCM) practices in voluntary set-aside forests. Estimates indicate that, for unknown reasons, only a small proportion of the NCM needed is carried out. The aims of this study are to (1) describe current practices for NCM of voluntary set-aside areas in Sweden and (2) identify factors affecting whether NCM of these areas is

This paper reports and discusses the distribution of pine mistletoe in Scots pine forests at stand and tree level in relation to some site, stand, and tree characteristics. Population characteristics (age, number and biomass) and distribution of pine mistletoe in the canopy of Scots pine trees were also evaluated. A total of 1408 trees were measured in 114 representative sample plots in the Eastern

Previous studies on cone/seed traits of conifer seed orchards have focused on genetic variation, while non-genetic variation has rarely been investigated. This study examined the variation of cone/seed traits in a red pine clonal seed orchard in 2008 and 2018. The registered cone traits included size, weight, the number of seeds-cone, number of scales-cone and number of cones-tree and seed traits included

ABSTRACT In Nordic climates, the weather allows a narrow time window during spring and summer for forest seedlings to be transplanted from indoor growth to outdoor conditions. If a new method for year-round cultivation under LED lamps is to be successfully introduced in forest nurseries, a cold storage phase for batches produced outside of the vegetation period needs to be included in the concept.

In drained forest sites, ditch cleaning (DC) may be needed to restore the drainage function of ditches and maintain favourable growing conditions. The main aims of this study were (i) to estimate the growth responses of Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) and Norway spruce (Picea abies L. Karst) stands following DC, and (ii) to test the hypothesis that stand stocking should be less than 150 m3 ha−1 at

Shelterwood forest regeneration methods are increasingly used in northern Europe to reduce clear-cut based even-aged forest management. However, empirical knowledge about seedling performance under various shelterwood methods is still incomplete. We analysed the effects of three shelterwood methods (uniform (UNI), strip felling (STR) and group selection (GRO)) on four types of Scots pine plant stock

Trembling aspen is an important component of the boreal mixedwood forest region and is a key component of numerous ecological functions. As a result, aspen has become a target species for forest restoration after industrial disturbance; however, aspen seedling afforestation research is still in its infancy as seedling and site characteristics and their interactions which drive establishment success

(2019). News and Views. Scandinavian Journal of Forest Research: Vol. 34, No. 7, pp. 643-646.

Mixing tree species could be a silviculture model that allows early harvest of short-rotation trees, while longer-rotation crop trees remain in the stand. We examined the effects on growth and tree characteristics in a planted experiment with lodgepole pine (LP) and elite-bred Scots pine (SP) in mixed (50/50) and monospecific plots in three different spacings (at 28 years of age after planting). The

To overcome existing knowledge gaps regarding altering harvest activities in the mixed species and heavily forested USA state of Maine, we used continuous forest inventory data to develop statistical models that predict harvest probability of occurrence and intensity. Among the three modeling approaches examined, the first one directly predicted stand-level basal area removal as a percentage of initial

In this study we review and analyse the policy design of biomass residue outtake in Sweden, focusing in particular on how public authorities specify and motivate rules and guidelines for the extraction of slash and stumps. The results show that the Swedish regulations are built on a mixed approach, including both voluntary, procedural and substantive requirements. The recommendations emphasize many

It is widely accepted that climate change will see an increase in the frequency and intensity of drought events that will inevitably impact on the commercially-important coniferous forests in Western Europe. Of particular concern is the likely increase in the incidence of drought-induced, radial-longitudinal stem cracks that will have serious consequences for forest health and wood structural properties

Forest structure is largely determined by nearest neighbor interactions, and reveals detailed interpretations of the current situation and development potential of the stand. A structure-based method is needed to analyze the relationship of nearest neighbor tree groups and therefore to characterize the forest spatial heterogeneity in a comprehensively and systematically way. A natural mixed forest

Forest cover is increasing in many regions due to spontaneous reforestation on abandoned pastures and fields. The resulting recent forests may need management to improve ecosystem quality, and this could possibly be combined with timber production in specific cases. Temperate deciduous (TD) trees have declined steeply during the past millennium, but some now increase in the recent forests, often mixed

Thinning changes the functioning of the whole forest ecosystem, including carbon and nitrogen (N) cycling. The input of organic matter and N into soil, as well as soil temperature and moisture regimes change, which may have an impact on the intensity of the net nitrogen mineralization (NNM) process. The main aims of this study were to estimate the effect of thinning on annual NNM as well as N leaching

The management of non-native tree species in European forests has a long history, but the information on the current number and geographic distribution of these species in European forests is incomplete and scattered across various datasets. This study aims to perform an inventory of the most frequent non-native tree species growing in European forests and analyse their current extent, geographic distribution