I Sverige och stora delar av Europa har det planterats gran, Picea abies, på marker som tidigare varit lövdominerade. Idag restaureras ädellövskog på dessa marker i ökad omfattning, bland annat för att gynna skogens biologiska mångfald och rekreationsvärden. Syftet med detta arbete var att undersöka överlevnad och tillväxt av ek, Quercus robur, och bok, Fagus sylvatica, som planterats efter gran i Söderåsens nationalpark och i Raslångens ekopark i södra Sverige. I Söderåsens nationalpark undersöktes plantutvecklingen tio år efter plantering på öppna hyggen (ek och bok) eller under björkskärm (bok). För Raslångens ekopark var syftet att undersöka om inversmarkberedning och hägn påverkar initial etablering och överlevnad hos bokplantor på öppna hyggen. Resultaten från Söderåsen visar att ek och bok tio år efter plantering kan nå en hög överlevnad och god tillväxt med hjälp av fungerande hägn och regelbundna röjningar.

This project investigated how elevation and vegetation type influences variation in plant litter phenolic content and protein precipitation capacity among and within common plant species for two different vegetation types, heath and meadow, in a subarctic ecosystem in the Abisko region of northern Sweden. As nutrient availability generally decreases with increasing elevation as a result of decreasing temperature, I hypothesised that phenolic content would increase with elevation and be higher on the heath than the meadow. To test this, the total phenolic content and protein precipitation capacity was estimated in leaf litter from 13 species in both heath and meadow vegetation across an elevational gradient ranging from 500 to 1000 meters above sea level (m.a.s.l.) in the study region. The results showed that elevation and vegetation type both had a strong impact on both variables. Total phenolic concentrations decreased with elevation for the meadow, and were greater for the heath than the meadow.

The storm Gudrun in 2005 led to massive windthow damage in forests in southern Sweden. Since then there has been a growing interest in factors influencing wind damage in above all Norway spruce (Picea Abies) stands. Although many other interesting areas still need to be examined. In 2005 there where a lot of stands that suffered different degrees of damage, a lot of these stands weren?t cut, but instead left to grow. The future development of these stands is uncertain and the guidelines are unclear.

Sitka spruce (Picea sitchensis) is a tree species that have its natural distribution along the West Coast of North America, from Alaska in the north to northern California in the south. Sitka spruce is a typical coastal tree species that can reach heights up to 85 meters and occurs in single pure as well as in mixed stands. The main purposes of this study were to describe the Sitka spruce growing characteristics and the volume production in comparison to spruce (Picea abies). The possibility to predict future volume production by using prognosis tools designed to be used on spruce were also studied. The material that has been used in this study are permanent sitka trials established by the Faculty of Forestry fixed Sitka trials and also material gathered in this study. A literature study was also carried out in order to determine the Sitka spruce growing characteristics. Sitka spruce has a high adaptation and a high volume production on a broad scale of soil types. The tree species is a pioneer species that has a fast early growth and in combination with sharp needles it is less susceptible to animal browsing than spruce. The factor that is the single most limiting factor for where the Sitka spruce can be planted is frost. This factor can be limited by using plant material with a well-suited provenance. According to the literature, the Sitka spruce has an average total volume production that is between 20-40% higher than spruce.

This thesis is about Christmas tree plantations in Sweden, and if its profitable to produce Christmas trees in Sweden. Sweden has 4,3 million households, 3 million of these households buys Christmas trees. 80 % of these Christmas trees are Norway Spruce (Picea abies), which is the most common Spruce in Sweden. Every year over 170 000 Christmas trees are imported to Sweden. The main import comes from Denmark.

The aim of this study was to evaluate different types of volume and taper equations that can be used to predict single-tree stem volume and stem diameter at any given height along the tree stem for plantation grown Sitka spruce (Picea sitchensis (Bong.) Carr.), Norway spruce (Picea abies (L.) Karst) and White spruce (Picea glauca (Mounch) Voss) in Iceland. A number of published tree volume equations were tested and modified to predict the total stem volumes over bark but three logarithmic equations were taken for more in-depth analysis. Three taper equations were tested. Two variable-exponent equations (Kozak 1997, Kozak 2004) and one exponential equation described by Biging (1984). Data from a total of 617 sample trees were used in this study, collected from stands in various parts of the country and present different types of stands growing in different soil types and cover most of the site conditions suitable for forestry in Iceland.

Saproxylic lichens in managed forests have less substrate available than in unmanaged forests due to the shortage of dead wood. However, a suitable substrate for these lichens could be dead branches on living trees. To this date, there has not been any systematically collected data about theabundance of dead branches on living trees and the lichens growing on these branches in managed forests. The aim of this study was to see where dead branches were located on living trees of Pinus sylvestris and Picea abies, how large the surface area of these branches was and what lichens grewof wood on these branches. The study was made in Finspång, Sweden, where 11 forest stands of P.sylvestris and P.

Productivity of Norway spruce (Picea abies) and Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris) was studied on 12 sites in coastal areas of northern Sweden. On each site, sample plots were placed in adjacent Norway spruce and Scots pine stands with similar ages in between. Basal area, tree height, Site Index, volume production, simulated maximum mean annual increment (MAImax) and tree vitality were compared for the two species. Average basal area at the time of measurement was 30.4% larger for Scots pine stands than for Norway spruce stands. The difference between the two species in basal area increment during the last 10 years was related to stand age.

The soil acidification and the pH-value of the soil have been discussed for many years. Many observations of the tree species effects on the soil pH have been done. We have discussed the effects on the soil surface pH-value with a birch (Betula spp. L.) admixture in Norway spruce stands (Picea abies L.).We have used data from the Swedish National Forest Inventory. We have also discussed how the wood production and the biodiversity can be increased in mixed stands, in according to the Swedish forestry act Skogsvårdslagen. Our sampling areas are located in Norrland, Sweden. The results show a significant correlation between an increased birch admixture and an increased pH-value of the soil.

The demands for higher production yields and better quality materials from the forests are increasing globally. Tree breeding programs are directed to meet the future demands on forests. In order to capture the full benefits from the breeding programs, clonal propagation is necessary. For most conifer species, somatic embryogenesis (SE) is the only available option for large scale clonal propagation of Elite clonal material. For Norway spruce (Picea abies L.

Stump treatment today requires large quantities of clean water mixed with the protective product Rotstop, to fully cover the stump surface. In order to reduce the water consumption without reducing the coverage of the stump surface, the pressure in the stump treatment device can be increased. Therefore, the Phlebiopsis gigantea (Fr.) Jül. suspension used as a biological control agent to prevent Heterobasidion annosum (Fr.) Bref. infection was pressure-tested.

Sitka spruce (Picea sitchensis (Bong.) Carr) is just like Norway spruce (Picea abies) a species in thegenus picea. The natural range of Sitka spruce is a narrow strip along the west coast of North America. Itis the most coastal of all picea species, and very dependent on the mild and humid climate along thepacific coast.Sitka spruce has been grown a long time in the countries around the North Sea, particularly in GreatBritain where it currently is the most important species in British forestry. Sitka spruce has not beenplanted in Swedish forests to any large extent before the storm Gudrun in 2005. Several studies indicatethat the production of wood biomass is higher for Sitka spruce compared to Norway spruce.

Kustgranen är ett snabbväxande trädslag som härstammar från nordvästra Nordamerika. IEuropa odlades den första gången i England och har sedan dess introducerats i fleraeuropeiska länder. I Danmark är kustgranen inte så ovanlig och odlas där främst längskusterna. I Sverige är kustgranen däremot väldigt ovanlig och odling har endast skett på ettfåtal lokaler i södra Sverige. Intresset får sägas vara mycket lågt för detta trädslag i Sverigetrots att det bevisligen kan producera väldigt bra här.

Tree fiber lengths controls properties like strength and smoothness in paper and other wood products. For forest researchers it is of interest to be able to determine the fiber lengths in standing trees. Mo?rling et al. (2003), among others, have developed methods to estimate fiber length distributions in standing trees without damaging them.

Swedish forests are dominated by just two conifer species Norway spruce and Scotch pine. They are not able to achieve the highest possible production or fulfill industry demands for raw materials. The introduction of exotic conifers can potentially meet these shortcomings and present a relevant solution. This study was conducted in a block experiment with ten blocks planted in 1987 by SCA in North Sweden. The objective of the block experiment was to study if Black spruce is an appropriate alternative to Lodgepole pine, Norway spruce and Scotch pine on different site classes.