Growth rate and productivity of Norway spurce (Picea abies (L.) H. Karst.) plantations on agricultural and forest land

Current issue: Volume 24, No. 1 (2024)

GROWTH RATE AND PRODUCTIVITY OF NORWAY SPRUCE (PICEA ABIES (L.) H.KARST.) PLANTATIONS ON AGRICULTURAL AND FOREST LAND

Mudrīte Daugaviete*, Austra Zuševica, Santa Celma, Viktorija Vendiņa, Kristaps Makovskis, Kārlis Dūmiņš, Toms Artūrs Štāls

DOI: https://doi.org/10.59893/abud.24(1).005

Daugaviete M., Zuševica A., Celma S., Vendiņa V., Makovskis K., Dūmiņš K., Štāls T.A. 2024. Growth rate and productivity of Norway spurce (Picea abies (L.) H. Karst.) plantations on agricultural and forest land. Acta Biol. Univ. Daugavp., 2024(1): 47-65.

Abstract

Norway spruce (Picea abies (L.) H.Karst.) as one of the fast-growing and highly productive forest tree species of the northern hemisphere has long been cultivated over vast areas especially in the boreal and hemi boreal forest zone. In Latvia, spruce-dominated stands account for 19% (623 000 ha) of the total forest area. In addition, spruce makes up 30%-40% of tree plantations established on abandoned agricultural lands. With due account for the high proportion of spruce forests and spruce plantation forests on abandoned agricultural lands, the Latvian forest researchers followed up their growth rate on a variety of soil types, comparing different planting densities and considering tending practices. Assessment of productivity in 40 spruce plantations aged 10-50 years on agricultural and forest land shows higher productivity in plantation forests established on agricultural land in terms of growing stock, whereas tree height and diameter does not differ significantly between the land use types. The variation in productivity partially depends on soil and land use type. In plantation forests established on agricultural land biomass partitioning was studied to evaluate potentially obtainable product types (timber and green branches) at different stand ages. On average at 13 years 54% of the trees total biomass consists of green branches and 41% is timber and in 29-year-old plantations timber accounts for up to 65% and green branches comprise 30 to 32% on average.

Keywords: plantation forest, forest stand, annual increment, growing stock, soil type, CO2 equivalent.

*Corresponding author: Mudrīte Daugaviete. Latvian State Forest Research Institute (LSFRI) Silava, Riga street 111, Salaspils LV-2169, Latvia, E-mail: mudrite.daugaviete@silava.lv

Austra Zuševica, Kristaps Makovskis. Latvian State Forest Research Institute (LSFRI) Silava, Riga street 111, Salaspils LV-2169, Latvia.

Santa Celma, Viktorija Veniņa, Kārlis Dūmiņš. Latvian State Forest Research Institute (LSFRI) Silava, Riga street 111, Salaspils LV-2169, Latvia. Latvia University of Life Sciences and Technologies, Lielā Street 2, Jelgava, LV-3001, Latvia

Toms Artūrs Štāls. Latvian State Forest Research Institute (LSFRI) Silava, Riga street 111, Salaspils LV-2169, Latvia. Faculty of Geography and Earth Sciences, University of Latvia, Riga, LV-1004, Latvia.