This study was conducted on a property with a thinning machine team. The purpose was to investigate in which machine, the harvester or the forwarder, that caused most damage to the trees in six different Stands. Different factors, related to the damage frequency in the Stands, were checked out. For example: basal area per hectare, thinning strength, tree diameter and the rate of production. The harvester drivers were also interviewed about how, when and why stem damages occur and how to minimize them. The study stated that 4.3 percent of the trees were damaged. Out of these 88 percent was caused by the harvester and the rest, 12 percent, by the forwarder..

The wide distribution range of our boreal pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) provides a great variation in growing conditions and climate/weather factors that influence the wood development of the trees. A great number of extensive studies have been conducted over the years in order to clarify growth trends of this and other species over more or less wide-ranging areas. In this thesis effects of weather factors were instead compared between different forest Stands from the about same geographical location. The effects of precipitation, temperature and frost on the year ring characteristics of pine were studied in the research forest of Svartberget Vindeln, in northern Sweden. The Stands differed in site index and silvicultural treatment; fertile ? high stem density, fertile ? low stem density, poor ? high stem density and poor ? low stem density.

Overdue cleanings have for a long time been an important topic of discussion within the forestry sector. When Stands that have not been pre-commercially thinned are reaching the level of commercial thinning, many problems occur in terms of decision-making and economical outcomes. These types of Stands are commonly known as conflict-Stands. The work was carried out partly as an interview survey towards representatives from the forest sector and the energy sector, partly as a case study of conflict-Stands situated in Böksholm, north of Växjö and in Tönnersjö east of Halmstad. The criteria for the studied Stands were that they had to be dominated by Norway spruce and be in a severe status of ?conflict?. The aim of the interview was to get an overview of the situation today, and also analyse trends in terms of conflict Stands.

SCA has today almost 300 000 hectares of their forest land planted with lodgepole pine(Pinus contorta var. latifolia). Due to initial extensive planting in the 1970ies the area oflodgepole pine forests in the thinning age has grown rapidly from the end of the 1990ies.During the years 1996-2005 first commercial thinning of lodgepole pine at SCA took place.The goal of the hereby presented study was to investigate the growth and stability in thosefirstly-thinned lodgepole pine Stands a few years after thinning. Furthermore, the objectivewas to investigate the relationship between stand stability and different stand parameters.Additionally, lodgepole pine stem quality was estimated.The study is mainly based on the data collected during an inventory project carried out atSCA in 2008. Altogether 91 lodgepole pine Stands in northern Sweden were measured afterthe first thinning.

With knowledge of how the southern Swedish forests have been affected by storms the past years, this study intended to find out which factors affect the storm firmness of a stand the most. The study was based on data from Stands in the, by the storm Gudrun, affected area. The results of the analyses that tested the stand factors that influence the amount of storm damage to the greatest extent showed that the storm sensitivity of Norway spruce Stands were largely due to previous management actions. The factors that could be controlled by thinning and had relevance of storm damage standpoint, according to the results were; the dominant height, volume, basal area weighted mean diameter and stand age at last thinning. In this study, these results are not as clear for Scots pine.

Wind damages next to strip roads in 1st and 2nd thinning in Boxholm, Östergötland Anneli Fransson, SLU, inst f sydsvensk skogsvetenskap, Examensarbete no 108 Wind damage is something we are all familiar with since the storms Gudrun (2005) and Per (2007). Research about strip roads and wind damage is very limited. It is commonly known that the trees next to the strip roads more often fall whit heavy winds, and the purpose of this thesis was to verify this statement. Data was collected from first- and second thinnings at Boxholms Skogar AB, Östergötland. In first thinnings data was collected from both spruce and pine Stands and second thinnings only data from spruce Stands was collected.

The introduced lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta) occupies more than 650 000 hectares in Sweden. There are some differences between lodgepole pine and Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris) forests which could affect bird assemblages, for example differences in canopy density and ground vegetation. Birds were surveyed in 14 localities in northern Sweden, each characterized by one middle-aged stand of lodgepole pine next to a stand of Scots pine. The two paired Stands in each locality were planted by the forestry company SCA at the same time and in similar environment to evaluate the potential of lodgepole pine in Sweden. In those 14 localities, one to three point count stations were established in both the lodgepole pine and the Scots pine stand, depending on the size of the area.

The purpose with this essay is to examine the role of landscape photography as a portrayer of nature. The study contains interviews with eight landscape photographers, to find out how they look at tendencies and changes in photography. The essay focuses on the discussion of authenticity and realism in landscape photography. Due to the requirement of nature as something natural and authentic, the landscape photography Stands in a special position when it comes to matters of manipulation and influence. On the basis of certain analysis themes, the landscape photographers debate questions such as where landscape photography Stands today, and how the future looks for the genre..

The Swedish FSC standard (Forest Stewardship Council) is a level standard used to certify forestry. All the major Swedish forest companies are using the FSC standard, and approximately 50% of the Swedish forests are FSC certified today. In the essay six items within the chapter on environmental issues and biodiversity are examined: the proportion of protected forest, the proportion of annually burnt clear-cut Stands, the number of trees with large diameter, the amount of dead wood, the proportion of deciduous trees within a stand and the proportion of deciduous-dominated Stands. The FSC standard states a level for all items, and the purpose of the essay is to analyse whether these levels are supported by research within the field of conservation biology. The validity of the levels of the six items is them discussed to evaluate whether changes are required to the next revision of the FSC standard.

The storm Gudrun January 8-9 2005 felled about 70 millions cubic metres forest in southern Sweden. The majority of the wind damaged forest was spruce (Picea abies). In order to decrease the risk of wind damages in the future other trees species are of interest for forestry in southern Sweden. The purpose of this master thesis was to study if larch were more wind tolerant than spruce. The method was to compare larch, Japanese larch (Larix kaempferi Lamb.), European larch (L.

Today Holmen Skog finds and selects suitable thinning Stands using data on upper height and basal area. These figures are often based on basic forest data that has been updated with the help of growth prediction models. The problem is that these figures are not always correct. The aim of this study was to investigate if a combination of data from a profiling laser and a digital camera for low elevation photography, can be used for collecting data on number of stems per ha, tree species mixture as well as basal area weighted mean height and upper height for Stands. The possibility to use these data to assess the need for thinning cutting was also investigated.Laser data and aerial photographs were collected from a helicopter operating at an approximate height of 100 meters.

The hybrid larch (Larix x eurolepis Henry) is a fast growing tree species and was introduced in Sweden for about 50 years ago. The high growth and expected resistance to diseases are probably the main reasons of introducing the tree species into the Swedish forests. The purpose of this thesis was to document the production of hybrid larch planted in the Snogeholm landscape laboratory and to compare the production in the pure hybrid larch stand with the mixture together with pedunculate oak (Quercus robur). The data collection in Snogeholm since the establishment has been carried out by the Swedish University of Agricultural Science (SLU). The fieldwork for the thesis was carried out in 3 Stands, containing hybrid larch, pedunculate oak and a mixture of hybrid larch and pedunculate oak, in order to be able to compare the total stand production of the areas. The results show that the total production of hybrid larch in the mixed stand only is 35 % compared with the total production of hybrid larch in the pure stand. Therefore, the hypothesis that the total production of hybrid larch is equal to the planted mixture with pedunculate oak was rejected. The other hypothesis that the total production of a 2 hectare large stand containing a mixture of hybrid larch and pedunculate oak would be greater than the total production of two pure Stands of 1 hectare containing hybrid larch and oak each was also rejected. In the studied case the total production was 45 % greater if hybrid larch and pedunculate oak was planted in pure Stands. The results from the case-study only indicate that the total production of hybrid larch and oak under the investigated conditions can be higher when planting the two species in pure Stands compared with a mixture of the two species.

With increased need for flexibility in timber deliveries, forest roads become an important factor. The disintegration of roads during the spring season can be avoided if it is possible to rule cutting areas to Stands with good carrying capacity along roads with good carrying capacity. The goal with this work was to create a method to find the Stands with high carrying capacity located near roads with high carrying capacity, and select them into a collection file. The method was based on Esri ArcGIS 9 and the tables that follow within that program. The method resulted in four different themes: 1. Collections with GYL 100 that cross the bufferzon for 0, 1, 2 and 3 class roads. Result 36 collections. 2. Collections with GYL 100 and 200 that cross the bufferzon for 0, 1, 2 and 3 class roads.

The aim for the study was to examine a harwarder´s (combined harvester-forwarder) productivity when harvesting forest fuel in first thinning Stands that contains Lodgepole pine and calculate the economy of the harvesting work and estimate the quality of the thinning . The field study area where located near Arvån, about 15 kilometres south ?east from the city of Lycksele. The field studies were taken place in three different Stands. All tree Stands had the same tree age, but the tree species combination and the density varied.

Young Stands in urban forests often lack a shrub layer, though shrubs play an important structural and biological role in forests. All layers interact with one another to form a multilayered stand, in which shrubs have a vital role.In this diploma thesis, theoretical models for forest dynamics are compared with four reference Stands to detect factors, and principals for introduction of shrubs in young Stands. In these Stands four different ways of introduction were found. In one trees and shrubs were planted together at the same time. Shrubs spontaneous spread under a canopy of mature forest, in another.