Kjersti Holt Hanssen

Performance of sown and naturally regenerated Picea abies seedlings under different scarification and harvesting regimens

Establishment, survival and height growth of sown and naturally regenerated Picea abies (L.) Karst. seedlings were examined in a 6 yr period in eight stands on bilberry woodland in south-east Norway. Five harvesting treatments (shelterwoods of high, medium and low density, 25×25 m patch-cut, 50×50 m clear-cut) and three scarification alternatives (unscarified, patch scarification, inverting) were combined in a split-plot design. Establishment, survival and plant height after 6 yrs were positively affected by scarification. Significant differences between patch scarification and inverting were not observed, although mortality tended to be lower, and seedlings slightly taller, after patch scarification. Establishment after natural seedfall was least successful on the clear-cut, but more or less equal at the other stand treatments. Height growth increased with decreasing overstorey retention, while there was a tendency towards lower survival on the clear-cuts and patch-cuts. Natural regeneration in the unscarified plots was unsuccessful after 6 yrs, while the different combinations of harvesting and scarification treatments usually gave sufficient regeneration.

Effects of partial cutting and scarification on planted Picea abies at mid-elevation sites in south-east Norway

Mortality, injury and height growth of planted Picea abies (L.) Karst, were examined over a 6 yr period in eight stands at middle altitudes (430–620 m a.s.l.) in south-east Norway. There were four residual stand density treatments (shelterwoods of high, medium and low density, 25 × 25 m patch-cut) combined with three scarification treatments (unscarified, patch scarification, inverting) in a split-plot design. Mortality was very low during the experimental period, and did not differ significantly between the residual stand density treatments (mean = 11.1%). Both survival and plant height after 6 yrs were improved by inverting, while patch scarification was intermediate but not significantly different from the unscarified alternative. The patch-cutting resulted in the tallest plants, while only minor differences in height growth were found between the shelterwood treatments. The frequency of injured plants after 6 yrs was not significantly affected by the treatments (mean = 10.6%). The improved plant establishment at inverting is in agreement with previous studies on clear-cuts.

Harvesting of logging residues affects diameter growth and pine weevil attacks on Norway spruce seedlings

ABSTRACT Removal of logging residues causes significant nutrient losses from the harvesting site. Furthermore, collection of residues into piles could lead to small-scale differences in establishment conditions for seedlings. We studied the effects of stem-only (SOH) and aboveground whole-tree harvesting (WTH) on Norway spruce (Picea abies) seedling growth and pine weevil (Hylobius abietis) damage at two sites (SE and W Norway). We also compared two planting environments within the WTH plots (WTH-0: areas with no residues, WTH-1: areas where residue piles had been placed and removed before planting). In practice, one-third of the residues were left on site after WTH. After three growing seasons there were no differences for height or diameter increment between SOH and WTH (WTH-1 and WTH-0 combined) treatments. However, relative diameter increment was largest for WTH-1 seedlings and lowest for WTH-0 seedlings. Few seedlings sustained pine weevil attacks at the W Norway site, with no differences among treatments. At the SE Norway site, the percent of seedlings damaged by pine weevils and average debarked area were significantly higher after WTH (82% and 3.3 cm2) compared to SOH (62% and 1.7 cm2). We conclude that WTH may lead to spatial differences in establishment conditions.

Effects of planting time on pine weevil (Hylobius abietis) damage to Norway spruce seedlings

ABSTRACT Feeding by pine weevil (Hylobius abietis L.) causes severe damage to newly planted conifer seedlings in most parts of Scandinavia. We investigated the effect of planting time and insecticide treatment on pine weevil damage and seedling growth. The main objective was to study if planting in early autumn on fresh clear-cuts would promote seedling establishment and reduce the amount of damage caused by pine weevil the following season. The experiment was conducted in southern Sweden and in south-eastern Norway with an identical experimental design at three sites in each country. On each site, Norway spruce seedlings with or without insecticide treatment were planted at four different planting times: August, September, November and May the following year. In Sweden, the proportion of untreated seedlings that were killed by pine weevils was reduced when seedlings were planted at the earliest time (August/September) compared to late planting in November, or May the following year. This pattern was not found in Norway. The average length of leading shoot, diameter growth and biomass were clearly benefited by planting in August in both countries. Insecticide treatment decreased the number of seedlings killed or severely damaged in both Norway and Sweden.

Effects of forest residue harvesting on short-term changes in soil solution chemistry

ABSTRACT Short-term (three to four years) effects of forest harvesting on soil solution chemistry were investigated at two Norway spruce sites in southern Norway, differing in precipitation amount and topography. Experimental plots were either harvested conventionally (stem-only harvesting, SOH) or whole trees, including crowns, twigs and branches were removed (whole-tree harvesting, WTH), leaving residue piles on the ground for some months before removal. The WTH treatment had two sub-treatments: WTH-pile where there had been piles and WTH-removal, from where residues had been removed to make piles. Increased soil solution concentrations of NO3–N, total N, Ca, Mg and K at 30 cm depth, shown by peaks in concentrations in the years after harvesting, were found at the drier, less steep site in eastern Norway after SOH and WTH-pile, but less so after WTH-removal. At the wetter, steeper site in western Norway, peaks were often observed also at WTH-removal plots, which might reflect within-site differences in water pathways due largely to site topography.

Effects of repeated fertilization in young Norway spruce forests

ABSTRACT Several studies have shown the positive effect of nitrogen fertilization on conifer growth. In young Norway spruce (Picea abies) stands, an additional effect of including a mixture of other nutrients has often, but not always, been found. We studied effects of repeated fertilization in 28 stands with young Norway spruce in central Norway. The treatments consisted of plots without nutrient addition (Control), fertilization with 150 kg N ha−1 (150 N), and fertilization with 150 kg N plus addition of P, K, Mg, B, Mn and Cu (150 N + mix), repeated three times with approximately eight years interval. There was a clear positive effect on volume increment of the 150 N and 150 N + mix treatments compared to Control, and the effect was significantly higher for 150 N + mix than for 150 N. Fertilization had a stronger effect in the first fertilization period than in the second, while the third period was intermediate. The effect of 150 N + mix was strongest at plots > 300 m a.s.l. However, this correlation may be due to geological conditions rather than elevation. Further studies are needed to find out under which edaphic conditions a nutrient mixture will increase growth substantially in young spruce stands.

Germination and seedling establishment of Norway spruce (Picea abies) after clear-cutting is affected by timing of soil scarification

Natural regeneration of Norway spruce (Picea abies (L.) Karst.) is a relatively common practice in Norway on medium to low site indices. However, seedling establishment is often hampered by rapid regrowth of competing vegetation in scarified patches. The aim of our study was to examine the effect of coordinating scarification towards an expected seed-fall, by studying germination and seedling establishment in scarified patches of different age (fresh, one- and two-year-old). The experiment was conducted in two stands in southeast Norway that were clear-cut in 2007. Scarification was applied to subplots in autumn 2008–2010. To simulate seed-fall, seeds were sown in fresh scarification patches in spring 2009–2011, in one-year-old patches in 2010 and 2011, and in two-year-old patches in 2011. Both germination and seedling survival were negatively affected by the age of the scarified patches. Germination was higher, and mortality lower, at the small fern woodland site, compared with the bilberry woodland site. Sowing in fresh patches also resulted in increased height and root collar diameter of the seedlings compared with sowing in older patches. It is likely that the competing vegetation both on the site and in the scarification patches affected the growth of the seedlings. In conclusion, the age of the scarified patches affected both germination and mortality, as well as early growth of the seedlings.