Competition from non-crop vegetation decreases the productivity of conifer plantations across Canada. The objectives of this research were: (1) to develop reliable indices of perennial, interspecific competition; (2) to compare the responses of black spruce and jack pine seedlings to tree and brush competition in northern Ontario; and (3) to identify the silvicultural implications of the responses. An examination of potential components of a competition index considered measures based on hemispherical photographs, fractal geometry, stand maps, and mensurational data from 360 seedling-centred plots for each of the two crop species. Reliable competition indices should be simple formulations which include horizontal and vertical dimensions and which express the amount of competition relative to the size of the seedling. The optimum index was found to be the area of competing canopy on hemispherical photographs, relative to the seedling leaf area. An alternate index, requiring no elaborate equipment, was the sum of the competing stem volumes (relative to the seedling stem volume) of the largest competitor in each quadrant surrounding the seedling. Comparisons of crop tree responses were made using functional growth analysis, replacing the conventional time axis with a competition axis. The relationship between growth and competition was adequately modelled with a power exponential composite function. Jack pine and bare root stock of both species maintained superior growth despite greater sensitivities to competition, compared to black spruce and container stock, respectively. Thus, jack pine or bare root stock of black spruce would outperform the alternatives if tending were delayed, but competition should be removed in all cases to capture the maximum growth potential. The rate of growth decline in response to competition was consistently greatest at the lowest competition levels, indicating that no beneficial effect on growth was provided by a light cover of non-crop vegetation. Allometric analyses indicated that black spruce had a greater morphological plasticity than jack pine. At high competition levels black spruce allocated more biomass to branches and foliage, at the expense of stem and roots. Jack pine demonstrated no such adjustment in allocation pattern, but followed a strategy of stress avoidance through sustained high growth rates. / Forestry, Faculty of / Graduate

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Alteration of river flow regimes due to dams result in modifications of riparian ecosystem, with impacts on vegetation, landforms, and habitats. A key characteristic that differentiates riparian zones from adjacent aquatic and terrestrial environments is the event of periodic flooding and water logging. In the regulated Dalälven and other regulated rivers, the Norway spruce (Picea abies) has been seen to replace deciduous hardwood forests over the years due to decrease in the frequency and duration of floods. This thesis aims to gain knowledge on the inundation duration needed to maintain riparian forests with deciduous hardwood trees along the regulated Dalälven. A laboratory experiment was conducted to assess the sensitivity of spruce seedlings to inundation with treatments varying in duration and depth of inundation and level of oxygenation. My hypotheses were that (1) mortality of spruce seedlings would be higher with complete submergence compared to only soils being waterlogged, and that (2) mortality would increase with duration of inundation, and (3) the mortality of spruce seedlings would be higher without oxygenation of water. The data was analyzed by comparing the plant vitality among treatments using analysis of variance using a binary logistic regression. The results indicated that as inundation time increased, the mortality of the seedlings increased. Since the laboratory experiment showed that a large proportion of spruce seedling died after being inundated for 22 and 44 days, reintroductions of floods shorter than the natural spring floods lasting about 1.5 months may be enough to aid in restore riparian forests dominated by oaks and other deciduous hardwood trees, e.g., in the regulated Dalälven river.

Markberedning är vanligt förekommande när återbeskogning skall ske efter en avverkning. Vilken metod som väljs styrs av olika faktorer som t ex markfuktighet, humuslagrets tjocklek och mineraljordlagrets djup. I detta arbete studeras ett försök vid SLU: s försökspark i Siljansfors, ca 20 km SV om Mora. Studien omfattar två olika försöksytor, Sf 284 och Sf 287, planterade med gran (Picea abies) år 2004 respektive 2007. Ståndorten är en moränmark, markfuktighetsklassen är frisk och vegetationstypen är blåbär- och lingontyp och är belägen cirka 210 m.ö.h.  Syftet med denna studie är att utvärdera och jämföra tre olika markberedningsmetoder med avseende på överlevnad och höjdtillväxt hos granplantor (Picea abies) under de första åren efter plantering. Vid plantering utan markberedning och utan kemiskt behandlade plantor är risken för en hög avgång på grund av skador orsakade av snytbagge (Hylobius abietis L.) stor de första åren. De markberedningsmetoder som jämfördes var högläggning, fläckmarkberedning och inversmetoden. Dessa tre metoder jämfördes inbördes samt mot att inte markbereda alls. I det totala samlade plantmaterialet var hälften kemiskt behandlat mot snytbagge. Fördelningen kemiskt behandlat och obehandlat plantmaterial var jämt fördelat i alla försök och upprepningar. I studien ingick också en utvärdering av den så kallade ”kanteffekten”, dvs. effekten av att plantorna sattes närmare än, respektive längre än 10 cm från kanten av den anlagda markberedningsytan. I juli 2009 mättes planthöjd och överlevnad på försöksytorna. Resultatet presenteras som medelvärden i form av stapeldiagram. Överlevnadsgraden höjdes med hjälp av markberedning, permetrinbehandling och val av planteringspunkt i förhållande till humuskant.  Det var framför allt högläggning och inversmarkberedning som gynnade plantornas höjdtillväxt. / Soil preparation is common when reforestation occurs after harvesting. Which method is chosen is governed by various factors such as soil moisture, humus layer thickness and depth of mineral soil. An experiment was made at SLU's experimental park in Siljansfors, about 20 km SW about Mora. The study comprises two different experimental areas, Sf 284 and Sf 287, where Picea abies was planted in 2004 and 2007 respectively. The soil is a moraine, the soil moisture class is fresh and the vegetation type is blueberry and lingonberry type. The site is located approximately 210 m above sea level. The purpose of this study was to evaluate and compare three different soil preparation methods regarding to survival and height growth of Picea abies during the first years after planting. In the case of planting without soil preparation and without chemically treated plants, the risk of a high mortality due to the damage caused by pine weevil (Hylobius abietis L.) is high during the first years. The soil preparation methods that were compared were mounding, patch scarification and the inverse method. These three methods were compared to each other as well as to no soil preparation at all. In the total aggregate plant material, half were chemically treated against pine weevil. The distribution of chemically treated and untreated plant material was evenly distributed throughout all trials and repeats. The study also included an evaluation of the so-called "edge effect", i.e. the effect of placing the plants closer than, respectively, longer than 10 cm from the edge of the scarified patch. In July 2009, plant height and survival were measured in the experimental areas. The result is presented as averages in the form of bar charts. The survival rate was increased by soil preparation, permetrin treatment and selection of planting point relative to humus edge. It was above all mounding and inverse soil preparation that favored the height of the plants.