M. Sc. in Forestry, PhD student

My research aims at investigating if the estimation concerning the higher production for improved plants is sustainable and applicable on stand level. The differences in
growth between improved and unimproved material call for new growth models for Scots pine and Norway spruce, as the models of today are not suitable for the improved forest.
My task will therefore be to create a growth model which can handle different planting material. I will also investigate how these new forests should be managed. One possibility is that the new stands can be managed as before, except that they grow faster and treatments should be made earlier. Another possibility is that improved stands have different shapes or growth compared to unimproved stands why it may not be optimal to manage it as before.

The research is a collaboration between SLU and the Forest Research Institute of Sweden (Skogforsk) who are running the breeding programs.