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Environmental information systems
Silvicultural operations refer to the practices carried out during soil cultivation and the establishment of trees until harvesting. The goal of activities like tending, thinning and soil preparation are to improve the forest according to the management objectives.
Tending and thinning
Tending and thinning operations are done between the stand establishment and the final harvest to create favourable growing conditions for the remaining trees and to produce quality timber. Here are some examples of tending and thinning operations:
Weeding
Weeding is done in the seedling stage to remove competition from other vegetation to favour the desirable tree species in their survival and growth.
Pruning
Pruning enhances the timber quality. The lower branches of trees are removed to produce wood without knots.
Thinning
Thinning from below removes trees that are smaller, crooked or unhealthy. The focus is on removing trees that are behind in growth and quality. It is mostly trees in the lower canopy layers that are removed.
Thinning from above
Thinning forom above is carried out to favour good quality trees in the crown layer. Trees competing with the quality trees in the upper layer are removed to promote the healthy development of the remaining ones, enhancing the overall quality and productivity of the forest stand.
Soil cultivation
Soil cultivation operations are typically carried out to prepare a site for seed germination, seedling survival and early growth. They can be carried out to facilitate access after harvesting activities or to reduce wildfire risk. Operations may include:
Scarification
Scarfication is an operation that removes the upper organic layers to uncover the bare soil, as well as removing competing vegetation to create desirable planting spots in mineral soils or in mixed-organic soils, improving temperature, nutrient availability and moisture status. One of the common forms of scarification is disc trenching which is sometimes used to enhance seedling establishment or root growth.
Subsoiling or ripping
A surface treatment applied in case of dry soils or compacted surface layer, which restricts the root growth and plant development. This practice fractures soil structure without mixing the soil horizons, which are layers formed by soil-forming processes.
Mounding
An operation that creates elevated planting spots free from water logging and with low weed competition.
Drainage
An operation that, through the establishment of ditches or other techniques, seeks to improve the terrain water drainage. However, drainage can have side effects such as degradation of soil quality, contribution to carbon emissions, and may cause biodiversity loss by destroying habitats, especially for peatland.
Fertilization
The process of applying fertilizer to the soil to improve growth in forest stands. While the average annual rates of fertilizer application per hectare are generally low, the amounts and types per application could be similar to volumes used in agriculture. The application of fertilizers is common in nurseries and (containerized) planting material. Fertilization may also have some unintended side-effects such as contributing to nutrient imbalances, water pollution, soil acidification, and impact biodiversity by favouring fast-growing species over native flora.
Major decisions involved in forest management and the associated silvicultural operations, modified from Duncker et al. (2012)
Disc trenching in Finland
Photo by P.J. Verkerk
Application of chemical agents
Chemical agents are applied to reduce or prevent competition or pests that may negatively affect the establishment and development of a stand. Available information on 13 European countries in 2009 indicates that the use of pesticides and herbicides ranges from 0.0002 to 0.69 kg active ingredient per ha/yr over the whole forest area in these countries, with a tendency of lower rates in northern countries. The amount per application ranges between 0.1 and 2.2 kg active ingredient per ha/ yr. The use of pesticides in European forestry appears to be limited and significantly less than in agriculture.
Pesticide and herbicide use varies between European countries
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