Stump diameter and age affect coppicing of downy birch (Betula pubescens Ehrh.)

Hytönen, Jyrki

doi:10.1007/s10342-019-01175-5

Cited by 5 publications

(12 citation statements)

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“…The dry weight of sprouts on a stump has shown to increase with increases in stump diameter from 1 to at least 9 cm, and fast-growing young stands producing stumps sized 9 cm have been considered to be ideal for short-rotation management of birch [20,39] The total biomass of the sprouts on an area basis in the study stands was related to the number of trees in the stands. Those young stands having more stumps per hectare than the older stands had a higher biomass on an area basis.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 96%

“…Results after the first growing season showed that an increase in the diameter of stumps led to higher numbers of sprouts produced per stump, and a higher mean, dominant and cumulative height of sprouts per stump with a higher biomass of sprouts per stump [20]. In addition, the oldest stands (22-24 years old) had the highest numbers of non-sprouting stumps, which may decrease their suitability for the coppice system [20]. In this study, the number of sprouts, their height, and the biomass development of the coppices was followed for nine years.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 98%

“…Several factors, such as stump height, stump diameter, and age of trees, affecting the sprouting of downy birch are well known [20]. The sprouting of downy birch has been studied with the aim mostly at finding means to control birch sprouting since fast-growing sprouts often impair the development of softwood forest plantations.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In this study, birch stands were cut at the beginning of May when the trees were still leafless and the growing season had not yet begun. Results after the first growing season showed that an increase in the diameter of stumps led to higher numbers of sprouts produced per stump, and a higher mean, dominant and cumulative height of sprouts per stump with a higher biomass of sprouts per stump [20]. In addition, the oldest stands (22-24 years old) had the highest numbers of non-sprouting stumps, which may decrease their suitability for the coppice system [20].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In addition, the sprout damage was assessed. The mean height of the origin of the sprouts [20] was deducted from the measured height of the sprouts. The dominant height of sprouts was calculated as the mean height of 10% of the tallest sprouts.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Development of Downy Birch (Betula pubescens Ehrh.) Coppice Stands during Nine Years

Hytönen

2020

Forests

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Growing of dense, naturally regenerated downy birch stands using rotations of 24–26 years has been shown to be profitable. Coppicing would be a low-cost regeneration method, however, knowledge on the development of birch coppices is scarce. The height, stem number, and biomass development of sprouts originating from six clearcut stands in three age classes (A: 10–12 years, B: 15–16 years, C: 22–24 years) located in northern Finland was studied. Equations for estimating the aboveground biomass from height were developed for sprouts. The number of sprouts, and their height and biomass were measured annually during nine growing seasons. In addition, sprout damage was assessed. The number of sprouts per hectare was highest in the youngest age class (A) throughout the study period, even though the decrease in the number of stems due to self-thinning was also fastest (from 591,000 sprouts per ha to 105,000 sprouts per ha). The stand age class did not have an effect on either the mean (2.7 m) or dominant height (5.4 m) of birch sprouts. The total leafless above-ground biomass, the mean annual increment (MAI), and the current annual increment (CAI) were highest in the youngest stand age class (A) and lowest in the oldest age class (C). After 9 years, the biomass in the oldest age class was 15.1 Mg ha−1 and 31.1 Mg ha−1 in the youngest age class. During the first six years, the biomass of the sprouts correlated with the number of stumps. A higher number of stumps produced more sprouts and biomass in the first years. However, due to faster self-thinning in the densest stands and higher mass of average sprout in the oldest stands, the correlation between the number of stumps and biomass decreased with the increase of age so that it was no longer significant in years 7, 8, and 9. In the older stand age classes, the MAI increased with the increase of the age of sprouts. The CAI varied considerably between the study years. The study showed that due to coppice vigor, growth of the birch sprouts can be high.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 96%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 98%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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