Sweden has today the highest moose (Alces alces) population in the world. The population has been very high since the late seventies and in the beginning of the eighties there was a big ?moose explosion?. The main food source for moose during the winter is young pine (Pinus sylvestris) and birch (Betula spp.). The high moose population has therefore lead to high damage on pine forests over big areas.

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.

In Europe poplar plantations has been planted for more than one hundred years. In the first plantation was made in 1940. The interest for poplars has since then shifted over the years and has for long periods been very low but is now slowly increasing again. The main reasons why poplars are becoming more interesting are because of their great production potential. Nevertheless, the knowledge of how to mange poplars in Sweden are very low and very little research has been done concerning management of the species. The objective for this study was to; 1) investigate and document experience and results obtained in practical Swedish forestry, 2) to give a fair picture of the perceived advantages and disadvantages that the poplars has for the forestry, 3) document what the foresters that has experience and those who has no experience of poplar plantations thinks about the potential of poplars.

Forest enterprises have always searched for ways to improve efficiency. For the past few years there has been an emphasis on stock-keeping levels. Increased demand for fresh round timber and the need to decrease the amount of tied-up capital has made the forest industry reduce its inventory levels. This has brought on a higher demand on the timber supply from the forest management districts concerning both delivery in time and assortment output. As a result, the flow of timber has fluctuated a lot with serious consequence for the timber supply during 1994.