Skiktning och strukturell utveckling i unga naturlika skogsplanteringar : med fokus på artsammansättning och tidig skötsel

Sammanfattning: Multilayered woodland types are an important part of the urban forest. The knowledge how to establish and maintain such plantations are not as deep as other knowledge fields concerning forestry. Therefore this study has looked upon how to achieve multilayered structures in young nature-like woodland plantations. As a theoretical base for the study three different major knowledge culture have been studied that concerns the subject, ecology, forestry and landscape management/design. This three theoretical framework concludes that many natural processes strive in the opposite direction of multilayered structures in their youth. At the same time this different theories give us a understanding who and why we could manipulate this stand through planting composition and management towards more stratified structures. To deepen the practical experiences and knowledge about these questions, a field study project was designed. All together twelve different stands that had been planted mainly during the 1980-s where chosen and studied in the Öresund region focusing on their vegetation structure and canopy stratification. Crown height and tree height together with crown projections where the main parameters used to evaluate the structure of the stands. The data was analyzed using a wide range of scientifically approaches including, the quantity stratification models LMS and TSTRAT. The results show that a three layered structure can be achieved within thirty years after plantation. The key element for achieving a multilayered structure where found to be a combination of both species mixture and management. A species mixture with oak and not to many other tree species together with some middle layer species and the low growing shade tolerant bush species like Alpine Currant Ribes alpinum proved to be one good alternative. Depending on the species mixture and the management goal, two different management tactics could be used for the thinning of the stand. One where the tree layer was favoured and one where the middle layer was favoured giving rise to different kind of multilayered forest structures.