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.

Sitka spruce (Picea sitchensis) is not considered to be a native species to Swedish forests. It´s origin is the pacific coast of Northern America, an area that is dominated by a coastal climate which makes it likely to believe that it would be well suited for growing in the south-west of Sweden. This study aims to investigate the gain in production that can be reached by growing sitka spruce instead of Norway Spruce (Picea abies) in the county of Halland. A regression model based on data from forest experiments was produced to explain the gain in production. This model was based on elevation and annual precipitation. The model was then used to create a map layer in arcGIS that shows the gain of volume in comparison to Norway Spruce in percent. An analysis was carried out to find what share of the forestland in Halland county that fell into four different classes of production gain.

This survey was made during the summer of 2004 and the spring of 2005, on commission from the National Board of Forestry. The aim of this report was to investigate how often Norway Spruce (Picea abies L. Karst), is planted on poor Scotch pine (Pinus Silvestries) sites and if it affects the yield of Norway Spruce? In order to investigate this, data from 29 stands witch had a lower site index than T24 was collected. The investigated stands were situated in the southern-eastern Sweden. In 20 plots in each stand, the highest tree, age, number of seedlings, site index and tree species per stand were measured.

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.

The aim of this report was to investigate the hypothesis that Norway Spruce (Picea abies L. Karst), planted on poor ?Scots pine? stands will not have sustained growth during the whole rotation, due to water deficit in the closed stands. In order to investigate this hypothesis, data from 10 Norway Spruce stands in southern-eastern Sweden were collected. In 10 plots in each stand, diameter and breast heights were measured on every tree.

The competition for Norway Spruce pulp wood in Central Sweden increases, forcing the supply-structure of Holmen to face two important challenges. Firstly, it is of the outmost strategically importance to secure the long-term supply of Norway Spruce pulp wood to the industries. Secondly, Holmen desires to increase the obtainable volume of Norway Spruce pulp wood. This would enable the company to choose volumes in the lower price-segments and thereby decrease the dependency of costly marginal volumes. As this work shows, one part in managing these challenges could be to lower the quality standards concerning root rot (Heterobasidium annosum). Facts presented in the work shows that: 1. Technically, the TMP-industry of Braviken can handle a much more rotted pulp wood than that used today, although the cost of refinement increases.

The purpose of this study was to develop two types of prediction models for Scots Pine and Norway Spruce. The first type for calculation of the stump diameter under bark the year the tree reached breast height (Dstubh130). The second type for calculation of the annual difference, e.g. the number of growth years between stump height (0.2 m) and breast height (1.3 meters above ground level). The primary thought with these prediction models is to obtain the breast height age in the trees on basis of the number of annual rings at stump.

The southern part of Sweden, Skåne, is frequently exposed to storms causing great damage to Norway Spruce (Picea abies L. Karst.) stands. A storm during the winter 1999/2000 raised the attention of the problem. A lot of forest owners got large areas of spruce stands wind thrown during this storm. Can naturally regenerated birch (Betula sp.) be an alternative on these wind-exposed sites? This was the main question I was facing when discussilig the problems with Esben Möller Madsen, Söderåsens forest district. The aim of this master thesis was to present an economic analysis of Norway Spruce versus birch.

The spruce bark beetle (Ips typographhus) is one of the 25 000 species of insects in Sweden, an insect of great economic importance because it can alone terminate forest of high value. During the past decade, insights of climate change received with increasing attention. If the future brings a milder climate in the north and therefore a longer growing season, one would think that it would only affect the forestry to the better? Yet in recent time, outbreaks after storm felling seems to occur more frequently. The Spruce bark beetle ruins millions of cubic meter of Norway Spruce (Picea abies) in Sweden alone, with more frequent storm felling and a larger amount of wind thrown threes in the forests there will also be room for an advancing reproduction.

This study investigates whether the site index curve method (SICM) and the growth intercept method (GIM) can be used for site index predictions in younger Norway Spruce (Picea abies (L.) Karst.) stands than recommended by current guidelines. For SICM it was thus investigated whether the method could be used for stands younger than ten years, and for GIM it was tested whether a starting point for the intercept measurements could be used below the recommended 2.5 meter. This was tested based on measurements taken from experimental stands in Tönnersjöheden Research Forest. For GIM it was found that the method can only be used when the TH-trees of a stand have five complete intercepts above 2.5 meters. For the method to be applicable beyond this, it will be necessary to adapt the underlying equations, perhaps following the Canadian example where a 1.3 meter intercept start is used. In conclusion it is not currently possible to apply the approach beyond the current recommendations. For SICM, SI predictions are accurate for the study area already form year three.

Each year, Heterobasidion spp. is a major cause of economic losses to forestry in the northernhemisphere, including Sweden. New results indicate that pre?commercial thinnings could be at riskfor Heterobasidion spp. infections.

A storm in January 2005 felled 75 millions cubic metres of forest in South Sweden. Previous studies of wind damage in thinned stands indicated the importance of early thinnings. The risks of wind throw increased by increasing age and height of the stands. Previous studies also indicated increasing risk of wind throw along the strip roads. The aim of the present study was to investigate wind damage in Norway Spruce stands in South Sweden in relation to time of the first thinning and different pattern of strip roads (width, length and direction).

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.

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.

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.