COST Action E 52 - vTI - Bund.de

sILvIcuLTure aNd research
The common way to regenerate beech is by natural regeneration. Mast years appear every second or
third year, but large variation occurs, depending on the weather conditions (Övergaard, Gemmel,
Karlsson 200 ). Soil preparation with the intention of exposing large areas of mineral soil should
be done before the seed-fall. Seeds should then be covered with soil to protect them from seed-eating
animals. During winter a heavy thinning is conducted, leaving just a sparse shelter of trees. This
shelter is removed within a 10 – 20-year period by felling trees at 2 – 4 occasions in order to gradually
increase the amount of light. Most often some retention trees are left for biodiversity reasons. Since
the seedlings are abundant there is mostly no need for fencing. The management is intense in the
young stands with at least two cleanings and frequent thinning. When the stand is older, the thinning
intervals increase. The normal rotation period varies from 80 – 140 years, shorter on the more fertile
sites, but also it depends on the quality of the stand, target diameter and timber prices.
Establishment of beech plantations is often both a costly and risky business. Fencing is necessary and
herbicides are needed, at least on former arable land. Using shelter trees, like larch, birch or alder, may
be one way to protect the plants from extreme temperatures during the first years of establishment.
Problems one always has to consider in new plantations are those caused by rodents and mice.
Photo 1: A Swedish beech forest in the springtime (J. NORMAN)
244