Swedish Forest Phenology

As part of the SLU environmental monitoring and assessment program, the Experimental Forests of the university collect detailed phenological measurements and observations on the tree species downy birch (Betula pubescens), silver birch (Betula pendula), Norway spruce (Picea abies) and Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris), and on two berry shrubs common in the Swedish forest, bilberry (Vaccinium myrtillus) and lingonberry (Vaccinium vitis-idaea). The dataset includes detailed data on leaf and shoot development on the tree species, and on flowering, emergence of unripe and ripe berries on the berry species during the years 2006–2020. The dataset shows the averaged values of measurements and observations performed on several individuals during the same assessment day.

The dataset includes temperature sums, calculated from climate monitoring data performed at each observation site.

The dataset also includes R-scripts that read and handle the observation data tables by interpolation between assessment days and between temperature sum levels at assessments, to get estimated daily values and values for even steps of temperature sums, respectively. By this, daily averages and SE and temperature sum step averages and SE for all years can be calculated and plotted by the scripts.

Also, standard phenological phase shifts are observed on the birches (from bud burst to shedding of leaves), and on spruce and pine (only bud burst and shoot elongation).

Data can be downloaded from the research data portal Researchdata.se (Swedish National Data Service): Swedish Forest Phenology dataset.