The project aim is to create a platform for the demonstration of prevailing even aged and continuous cover forestry in Finnish Lapland. The basic principle is to create demonstration areas representing prevailing even-aged forestry (clear-cutting) and continuous cover forest management method where management is based on the natural forest dynamics to a great extent. In this latter method the forest stand structures vary in small scale as a result of selection harvesting, gap harvesting, and partial harvesting. The effects of treatment methods on regeneration, tree growth, stand development of trees and biodiversity will be monitored using inventory plots. The economical performance of the continuous cover forestry will also be estimated. The demonstration areas will later be used for the development of new forest management methods, models and techniquess based on natural disturbance dynamics and for education and demonstration. The continuous cover forestry method is especially suitable for the management of forest areas used by the natureoriented tourism and the reindeer husbandry This project containing 7 separate study areas was started in the years 2020-2022 and is located in Rovaniemi. Every one of the 7 study areas includes 4 separate areas within them, for differing forest management methods. In addition to the 4 operated-on areas, an additional control area is also setup, which has been left untreated. These areas are 2 hectares each in stature. The applied methods are clear cutting, seedling felling, selection cutting and small-scale clearcutting. Long term effects of each methods are compared and examined, including forest growth, regeneration and biodiversity. The study areas were operated on in 2020. General growing stock, saplings/nursery and field layer vegetation are measured periodically. Additionally bird population and beetle species are calculated, Bryoria/Alectoria occurrence is estimated, inventory is done on polypore species, and amount of decayed trees is measured. Economic viablities are examined by taking in to consideration the operational costs of harvesting and any additional damage done to the growing stock and saplings during operations. Financial operational costs of continuous-cover silviculture are compared to the more widespread equal-maturity silviculture. A goal in addition to the research is to advance the know-how of forestry professionals, of forest education and of the general public about the various available silviculture methods. A management plan for the rotation period has been drafted for the subject areas in this study. The plan is put into practise by Metsähallitus (Finnish Forest Administration) in co-operation with Luke.

2024