Birch is the dominant deciduous tree species in Sweden but only 16 % is found in pure birch Stands. The majority of the birch (51 %) is to be found in conifer dominated Stands. Swedish forest land comprises approximately of 23 % mixed Stands and one problem is that for mixed Stands there are few management recommendations. The underlying aim of this thesis was to study the management of mixed forest Stands of spruce and birch to achieve good timber quality of birch. The study was based on a literature study and measurement in a field experiment launched in 1998 by the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU).

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.

This thesis has focused on the possibility to use a satellite image method developed by Metria Mijöanalys to identify Stands that are wrongly registered in Holmen Skogs database. The method is only intended for identifying stand with poor descriptions in Holmen?s database that needs to be updated and not for updating the stand information. The study area is located several km west of Hudiksvall on the borderline between Gävleborgs- och Västernorrlands län. The area is covered by a SPOT image from 2005. By which Metria Miljöanalys has made estimates of forest parameters for all Stands in the area, and compared them with corresponding estimates according to the stand database.

Modern forestry management may disadvantage some mykorrhiza forming fungi because; they are dependent on late successions and cannot survive the constantly recurring breaks in the continuity of their host tree. For this study the specie goliatmusseron (Tricholoma matsutake) was chosen to investigate this possibility. In Sweden T. matsutake is found in greatest amounts north of Örnsköldsvik on glacifluvial sandy soils in association with pine trees and reindeer lichens. Seventy two forest Stands where the specie previously had been found were studied; 62 in the northern part of Sweden and ten in the southern. Several indicators were studied to find out if these Stands have had a continuity of living trees.

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.

Plant survival, plant damage and height growth were studied in nine wild cherry (Prunus avium L.) plantations in southern Sweden established between 2000 and 2002. All Stands were located to the county of Småland. The survey was conducted during May and June in 2007. During the survey the height, diameter and quality of the cherry trees were recorded. In one stand, red ? berried Elder (Sambucus racemosa L.) was a dominant species.

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.

The aim of this study is to investigate how multiple tree handling harvesters perform compared to earlier developed standards. The study shows that multiple tree handling harvesters are more efficient in thinnings Stands with mean stock volumes less than 0,12 m3fub per stock. The increased efficiency is different for different mean stem classes. In Stands with a mean stem volume of 0,04 m3fub per stock, the increase can be as high as 40 percent while it is about 10 percent in Stands with a mean stem volume of 0,12 m3fub. Comparisons have been done between Stands that are felled with partly limbed Stands and Stands without partly limbed assortments. The difference in performance is clear and shows that the partly limbed assortments strengthen the multiple tree handling harvesters positive effects in low dimension thinnings.

The aim with this study was to investigate mortality in older respectively younger beech Stands (Fagus sylvatica), the different types of dead wood in the forest and the availability of coarse woody debris (CWD). The research was carried out in previously managed and seminatural Stands in Biskopstorp and Frodeparken, located north of Halinstad in Halland,Sweden. Data were collected from 22 Stands with at least 50 % beech and with a minimum age of 5 1 years, ranging in size from 0,67 to 19,9 ha. A transect was placed in each stand, in which the diaineter on both dead and living trees with a minimum diameter of 50 mm was recorded. On seven to 13 dead trees, depending on the size of each stand, decomposition stage, primary and secondary cause of death, amount of fungi and the type of the dead wood was noted.

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).

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.

In the 1970´s the North American lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta) was introduced to Sweden in large scale. The lodgepole pine affects its new environment different from Scots pine (P. sylvestris), leading to a change in biological diversity. Forestry today affects the ground beetle fauna (Carabidae). Habitat specialists associated with older forests are first affected. When the canopy closes again after a clear-cutting species that prefer open habitats reduces and those who prefer mature/closed forests increase. In this study we compare differences in diversity and community structure of ground beetles in Stands of lodgepole pine and Scots pine.

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.

Extensive planting of the tree species lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta var. latifolia) during the 1970s and 80s has resulted in large areas now being available for commercial thinning. However, the varying quality of the Stands creates a problem. The purpose of this study was to investigate, at the Torsby district of the Stora Enso forest company, how well the present computer records of the Stands correspond to reality and determine which Stands are, from a qualitative perspective, suited for timber production. Finding variables that indicate better Stands would give Stora Enso the possibility of selecting qualitative Stands which are more profitable to thin. The study included 32 Stands containing at least 70 % Pinus contorta.

Heartwood has always been a desirable part of the tree, due to it?s superior decay qualities com-pared to the sapwood. How the formation of heartwood works has been known for a long time, but which factors that initiates and stimulates the production are poorly understood. This case study presents the results of a study in which silvicultural treatments and site properties had a key position as factors to the formation of heartwood. According to the hypothesis the amount of sapwood is directly controlled by the size of the crown.