Tree species experiments at the northern timberline region in Finland
2006
Ruotsalainen, S.(Finnish Forest Research Inst., Punkaharju (Finland))
The arboreal flora of the northern timberline region is species-poor with only about 20 tree species growing in the forest-tundra region. The question of afforesting areas beyond the treeline has been of interest already for centuries and many more or less scientifically well-founded plantations have been established in the timberline region. This article presents 74 experiments with exotic tree species established for forest genetic purposes in Finnish Lapland north of the Arctic Circle. A total number of 22 exotic taxa, most of them conifers, have been tested in these experiments. There are only four exotic species: Picea glauca, Picea mariana, Pinus contorta var. latifolia and Larix sibirica, which have been tested rather well at the timberline conditions. There are more than ten potentially promising species which have not at all been tested in Finnish Lapland, among them e.g. Larix lyallii and Chosenia arbutifolia. The cultivation of exotic tree species is discussed in the light of climatic change and the improvement of forest productivity. Also the importance of considering selection of the proper provenance is stressed in connection with testing exotic tree species.
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