Will intensity of forest regeneration measures improve volume production and economy?

Abstract

The prevailing regeneration methods in Scandinavian countries are artificial regeneration methods including measures such as site preparation and planting. These measures are considered to be a part of a more intensive forest management and require an initial investment. The use of artificial regeneration measures can, however, increase the growth of a forest stand. In this study, the purpose was to investigate if such an investment is profitable by comparing three different intensity levels (low, medium and high) applied during the regeneration phase, with aspect on both economics (LEV, land expectation value) and growth (MAI, mean annual increment) after a full rotation. The forest stands used in this study were regenerated between 1984 and 1988 and the future growth of the stands was simulated using Heureka StandWise. It was clear that naturally regenerated (low intensity) stands resulted in better economics than stands actively regenerated (medium and high intensity). However, actively regenerated stands resulted in both higher volume production and growth, and the uncertainty of regeneration success was reduced using artificial regeneration measures. These factors are important when considering both the ongoing mitigation of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and future access to raw material.