Current issue: 58(4)
Silva Fennica Issue 64 includes presentations held in 1947 in the third professional development courses, arranged for foresters working in the public administration. The presentations focus on practical issues in forest management and administration, especially in regional level. The education was arranged by Forest Service. Two of the presentations were published in other publications than Silva Fennica.
This presentation describes execution of land acquisition act that came into effect in 1945. The act gave principles of transfer of state forest land for settlement.
In Finland ocular estimation of the growing stock has been made by means of volume tables based on the mean height and density class, or on the dominant height and density class of the stand. The author has observed that if the volume of a stand is estimated by employment of both tables, the results vary markedly from one another. Furthermore, volume of fully stocked stands in the dominant height tables show an approximate correspondence with the volumes of managed normal stands in Southern Finland.
The purpose of this study is therefore to develop volume tables for coniferous trees, based on the density class and the mean height; these tables should give the same volume for a stand as the dominant height tables.
Volume per hectare of 187 Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) stands and 120 Norway spruce (Picea abies (L.) Karst.) stands on different forest types were estimated using the relascope method in Southern Finland. With the volume and the measured mean and dominant heights as a basis, the density classes were extracted from both mean height tables and the dominant height tables. The investigation indicates that the author estimated the dense stands too thinly, and the thin ones too densely, and that the erroneous estimation of the density can be corrected by comparison of the ocular estimations and the corresponding measurements. The density can be measured by means of crown closure, stem number per hectare or the basal area per hectare.
The PDF includes a summary in English.
In Southern Finland Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) is mainly sown on Vaccinium and Myrtillus-type sites. The material for the study was collected by measuring sample plots in pure, even-aged pine stand that had been sown. The sample stands had been thinned from below.
The volume of the stands was roughly the same as that of repeatedly thinned pine stands. The cubic volume of sown pine stands is 65–90%, varying according to age, of that of natural-normal pine stands. The current annual volume increment of stands on Myrtillus-type was 8–9 m3/ha at age of 20–30 years. The peak was reached at age of 35 years with 9 m3/ha, in the following years the increment is about 8 m3/ha until the age of 60 years. On Vaccinium type sites increment reaches 6–7 m3 level at age of 30 years, and attains the peak of 7 m3/ha at the age of 45 years. Annual increment was in young and middle-aged Myrtillus-type stands about 10% greater, and on Vaccinium-type stands 15–20% greater than in natural-normal pine stands.
The total volume increment in 70 years old Myrtillus-type stands was 580 m3/ha over bark, and in 80 years old Vaccinium-type stands 520 m3/ha. The total removal on Myrtillus-type sites totalled nearly 350 m3/ha in sown pine stands up to 70 years of age, and 280 m3/ha on Vaccinium-type stands. The total yield in sawn timber per hectare rises up to 6,300 cubic ft in a 70 years old stand on Myrtillus-type stands, and 5,300 cubic ft in Vaccinium-type stands. In conclusion, the volume and increment development of managed pine stands established by sowing up to 70–80 years of age is largely the same as in repeatedly thinned pine stands, but the structure and yield offer greater advantages. The investigation demonstrates that, in the case of Scots pine, sowing is an advantageous method of regeneration. Sowing is an advantage especially in the cases where natural regeneration is uncertain and slow.
The PDF includes a summary in English.
An estimate of value of a forest holding is needed, for instance, when the holding is sold. There is, however, no standard method for forest valuation. This paper describes a method based on yield in terms of value that is estimated on the basis of cutting budget. The first, mensurational part of the investigation concentrates on calculation of cutting budget that can be used in forest valuation. Second part studies how chronological order of fellings changes allowable cut in forests that differ by age-class distribution and other structural properties. Structure and variation in the structure of silviculturally different forests are determined for the forests that form the data for the investigation.
According to the study, even if the forests studied in the investigation included forests which structure differed in their age-class distribution from normal forests, they could be managed in a such way that in 5-6 decades the age-class distribution resemble that of a normal forest, and have growing stock that correspond the stock of forests in Southern Finland, about 80-110 m3/ha. Based on this, the cutting budgets of the later decades of the first rotation can be assumed to be nearly even. The original age-class distribution of the forest affects, however, allowable cut of the forests during the first decade. The revenues of the first decade have small impact on the value, the later decades strong. Consequently, development of the most valuable part of the allowable cut, timber trees, has big impact on the value. The results show that in young forests the planned cut including the proportion of timber trees increases, in middle-aged forest it is relatively even, and in old forest declining. The results indicate the order of magnitude the planned cut can be in near future in diferent kinds of forests, and when different felling regimes are used to reach different goals.
The PDF includes a summary in German.
In this investigation was studied 1) Volume growth and yield of timber in managed Norway spruce (Picea abies (L.) Karst.) forests under different rotations. 2) Value growth, net forest income and soil expectation value of managed forests under different rotations, and 3) The rotations of spruce forests managed on different rotation principles. The data was collected from Oxalis-Myrtillus type forests in South-West Finland.
Two developmental series of stands were constructed for the research, one of which were of better sites than the other. Sample plots were pure, even-aged spruce stands in well-managed forests. The stands had been thinned from below. The age varied from 25-30 years to the age of final cutting.
According to the study, in the artificially regenerated spruce stands the highest mean annual volume growth, 9.7 m3/ha, and also the highest net annual income of 14,50 Finnish marks/ha (calculated from average stumpages) was reached in rotation of 70 years. In the other managed spruce forests a mean annual volume growth of 6.6-8.8 m3/ha and the net annual income of 10,500-14,500 Finnish marks/ha were reached in the rotation of 70-100 years. The rotation for the maximum mean annual volume growth varied in the different series between 67-92 years. The maximum mean annual forest rent was only achieved in series B in a rotation of about 100 years, and in a naturally normal stand in a rotation of about 120 years. The intensity of thinnings and silviculture had a greater effect on value growth and on net income than on volume growth.
The PDF includes a summary in English.
In Finland a large land reform has been accomplished which has increased the number of small farms and forest holdings by over 100,000. It is estimated that 4-5 million ha of forest land has been transferred to these smallholdings. The aim of this investigation was to study the areas of the wood lots of the farms established in connection to settlement activities during the time Finland has been independent.
The study shows that the farms established on the state-owned lands have been given forest areas big enough to enable them timber sales, provided that the forests were in a moderately good silvicultural condition. Relatively largest forest areas have been given to farms established from tenant farms. The farms established on private lands have got in average forest areas that are smaller than would be required for growing of household timber. In Southern Finland the area has been adequate, but in Northern Finland too small in part of the farms. Also, variation in the size of the farms has been larger. The farms established under the Land Acquisition Act have been given in average more than the principle of according to which half of the forests should be suitable for cultivation of household timber and half for timber sales.
The Acta Forestalia Fennica issue 61 was published in honour of professor Eino Saari’s 60th birthday.
The PDF includes a summary in German.