Effect of vegetation control on the survival and growth of Scots pine and Norway spruce planted on former agricultural land

The effects of competing vegetation and various weed control methods (fibreboard mulch, cover crop of clover, and various herbicides) on the survival and growth of Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) and Norway spruce (Picea abies (L.) Karst.) seedlings were compared based on 6- to 11-year data from a field experiment established as a randomized block design with three replications in southern Finland. The most effective herbicides significantly reduced the weed cover for 2 or 3 years. The mortality, basal diameter, height, and volume of Scots pine significantly correlated with percent cover of the ground vegetation. In the case of Norway spruce, only the stem diameter correlated significantly with percent cover of the competing vegetation. This was probably due to the severe frost damage that occurred in the third growing season. The mortality of pine began to increase only when the vegetation cover had exceeded 60%. After 11 years, the stand volume on the pine plots treated with terbuthylazine was almost double that of the untreated plots (32 vs. 17 m3·ha–1), but this difference was not statistically significant. Mulch and cover crop did not significantly affect pine growth or mortality. Recurrent frost damage may explain why none of the studied treatments significantly affected the mortality and volume growth of Norway spruce.

Download Full-text

Effects of mulching and insecticides on establishment and growth of Norway spruce

Canadian Journal of Forest Research ◽

10.1139/x06-121 ◽

2006 ◽

Vol 36 (10) ◽

pp. 2377-2385 ◽

Cited By ~ 10

Author(s):

Karin Johansson ◽

Göran Örlander ◽

Urban Nilsson

Keyword(s):

Soil Moisture ◽

Norway Spruce ◽

Soil Water Potential ◽

Experimental Period ◽

Percent Cover ◽

Southern Sweden ◽

Growth Environment ◽

Competing Vegetation ◽

Pine Weevils ◽

Different Depths

Establishment of Norway spruce (Picea abies (L.) Karst.) seedlings is often restricted by competition from vegetation, drought, and damage by pine weevils. In this study, effects of mulching on these factors were investigated. Norway spruce seedlings were planted on fresh and 1-year-old clearcuts treated with mulch on three sites in southern Sweden. Mulch was made of slash from the old stand and applied on whole blocks at three different depths: 0, 10, and 20 cm. Both insecticide-treated and untreated seedlings were planted. By reducing the competing vegetation and improving soil moisture and mineralization, mulching created a favorable growth environment. Mulching significantly improved growth in terms of height, diameter, and volume of the seedlings. Growth continued to increase over time in mulched treatments, probably as an effect of increased nutrient availability. The 20 cm mulch layer generated the greatest increase in growth throughout the 10-year experimental period. Soil moisture was preserved under the isolating mulch layer and during periods of drought soil water potential was significantly higher in mulched treatments. After 2 years, percent cover of competing vegetation was 50%–60% without mulch and 10%–20% with a mulch depth of 20 cm. Insecticide-treated seedlings achieved a survival rate close to 100% in all mulching treatments, whereas survival among untreated seedlings was only 40% on some clearcuts. Mulching alone did not affect survival or abundance of pine weevils.

Download Full-text

The Recovery of Damaged Pine Forests in an Area Formerly Polluted by Nitrogen

The Scientific World JOURNAL ◽

10.1100/tsw.2001.451 ◽

2001 ◽

Vol 1 ◽

pp. 384-393 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Kestutis Armolaitis ◽

Vidas Stakenas

Keyword(s):

Species Composition ◽

Norway Spruce ◽

Scots Pine ◽

Nitrogen Fertilizer ◽

Nitrogen Pollution ◽

Pine Forests ◽

Ground Vegetation ◽

Positive Trend ◽

Pine Stands ◽

Scots Pine Stands

An area in Lithuania containing coniferous stands of Scots pine and Norway spruce that were dead or damaged due to nitrogen pollution by a nitrogen fertilizer plant (JV Achema) was found to have expanded between 1974 and 1989 to a distance of 20 to 25 km northeast of the plant in the direction of prevailing winds. Over the last 10 years, when nitrogen pollution by the plant had decreased, a clear process of recovery of the damaged ecosystems could be observed. The following features of this process as it occurred in damaged Scots pine stands are discussed: (1) refoliation (or decreased defoliation) of damaged trees, where a clear positive trend could be observed; (2) changes in the species composition and in the covering by ground vegetation, where small changes and indication of less-nitrophilous species coverage could be detected; and (3) chemical and acidity changes in Luvisols and Arenosols, where a significant decrease could be seen especially concerning nitrate concentrations.

Download Full-text

Erratum to: Connecting potential frost damage events identified from meteorological records to radial growth variation in Norway spruce and Scots pine

Trees ◽

10.1007/s00468-017-1617-4 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 31 (6) ◽

pp. 2035-2035

Author(s):

Susanne Suvanto ◽

Helena M. Henttonen ◽

Pekka Nöjd ◽

Samuli Helama ◽

Tapani Repo ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Norway Spruce ◽

Scots Pine ◽

Radial Growth ◽

Frost Damage ◽

Growth Variation

Download Full-text

Connecting potential frost damage events identified from meteorological records to radial growth variation in Norway spruce and Scots pine

Trees ◽

10.1007/s00468-017-1590-y ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 31 (6) ◽

pp. 2023-2034 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Susanne Suvanto ◽

Helena M. Henttonen ◽

Pekka Nöjd ◽

Samuli Helama ◽

Tapani Repo ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Norway Spruce ◽

Scots Pine ◽

Radial Growth ◽

Frost Damage ◽

Growth Variation

Download Full-text

Growth Responses of Boreal Scots Pine, Norway Spruce and Silver Birch Seedlings to Simulated Climate Warming over Three Growing Seasons in a Controlled Field Experiment

Forests ◽

10.3390/f11090943 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 11 (9) ◽

pp. 943

Author(s):

Katri Nissinen ◽

Virpi Virjamo ◽

Antti Kilpeläinen ◽

Veli-Pekka Ikonen ◽

Laura Pikkarainen ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Norway Spruce ◽

Scots Pine ◽

Root Biomass ◽

Growing Season ◽

Silver Birch ◽

Shoot Biomass ◽

Growth Responses ◽

Growing Seasons ◽

Simulated Climate ◽

Shoot And Root Biomass

We studied the growth responses of boreal Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.), Norway spruce (Picea abies L. Karst.) and silver birch (Betula pendula Roth) seedlings to simulated climate warming of an average of 1.3 °C over the growing season in a controlled field experiment in central Finland. We had six replicate plots for elevated and ambient temperature for each tree species. The warming treatment lasted for the conifers for three growing seasons and for the birch two growing seasons. We measured the height and diameter growth of all the seedlings weekly during the growing season. The shoot and root biomass and their ratios were measured annually in one-third of seedlings harvested from each plot in autumn. After two growing seasons, the height, diameter and shoot biomass were 45%, 19% and 41% larger in silver birch seedlings under the warming treatment, but the root biomass was clearly less affected. After three growing seasons, the height, diameter, shoot and root biomass were under a warming treatment 39, 47, 189 and 113% greater in Scots pine, but the root:shoot ratio 29% lower, respectively. The corresponding responses of Norway spruce to warming were clearly smaller (e.g., shoot biomass 46% higher under a warming treatment). As a comparison, the relative response of height growth in silver birch was after two growing seasons equal to that measured in Scots pine after three growing seasons. Based on our findings, especially silver birch seedlings, but also Scots pine seedlings benefitted from warming, which should be taken into account in forest regeneration in the future.

Download Full-text