Uneven- vs even-aged management in Finnish boreal forests

The article summarizes results obtained from several field experiments, measured in uneven-aged forests during a long period; from the 1930s until the present. Experiments have been established in both Norway spruce- and Scots pine-dominated stands. The purpose is to evaluate the feasibility of uneven-aged forest management under Finnish conditions and compare uneven-aged management to the current even-aged forestry. The analysed datasets demonstrate relatively rich regeneration under many types of tree canopies. The number of stabilized (height 0.1-1.3 m) spruce seedlings does not always correlate with the stand density. The amount of small labile (height < 0.1 m) spruce seedlings may even increase with increasing stand volume. Contrary to spruce, the regeneration of birch and pine decreases with increasing stand volume. The yield comparisons show that uneven-aged stands have often grown faster than even-aged stands with the same post-cutting stand density. High thinnings have resulted in better volume increments than low thinnings. Recent studies show that uneven-aged management is more profitable than even-aged rotation forestry (RF), especially with high discount rates. Uneven-aged management seems to be superior to current even-aged RF also with respect to environmental and multifunctional aspects, such as carbon sequestration, bilberry yield, structural diversity and scenic values.