Epsilon Open Archive

Abstract

Between 1953 and 1961 a series of pre-commercial thinning experiments were established in Sweden, in which selective thinning removals to various numbers of stems per hectare were applied. During the years 1970-1985 complementary pre-commercial thinning experiments were established, in which (inter alia) selective pre-commercial thinning treatments were applied at various mean tree heights, in strips, with and without fertilization and/or pruning, and with or without removal of cut trees. In total, experiments were established in 140 stands in Sweden, mainly in Scots pine and Norway spruce sites. The experiments have usually been assessed every five years up to the first thinning (at a dominant height of 12-15 m). Most data from the assessments have now been compiled in a digitized format for convenient computer analyses and results from several analyses are being prepared for publication. The main objectives of this paper are to provide a detailed report of the structure of the experiments and the accessibility of the data. A summary of previously published results based on the experiments is also presented.