Applying modern scientific methods to a century-old problem for alternative forest management

The New EU Forest Strategy 2030, part of the European Green Deal, states that clear-cutting of forests “should be approached with caution” and “avoided as much as possible”.

This would greatly impact Swedish forestry, where clear-cut harvest is the norm, for instance by reduced maximum clear-cut size.Forest regeneration after harvest is an important phase in rotation forestry that could face considerable challenges in this context. It is well-documented that regeneration is poor around the edge of clear-cuts and near the base of retained old trees.

This is an old silvicultural problem that has been minimized by clear-felling and site preparation methods that are becoming problematic due to their negative environmental effects.The current proposal is not advocating large clear-cuts. Instead, I propose to test a new hypothesis explaining the poor seedling performance near larger trees.

Based on my own scientific work, the hypothesis states that mycorrhizal fungi hold the key to belowground competition dynamics that place seedlings at a disadvantage in the proximity to large trees. It has been shown that fungal connections can lead to small plants staying small, while larger individuals benefit.

I propose a project to test this hypothesis and, if confirmed, to initiate the development of silvicultural methods to improve forest regeneration in smaller clear-cuts, gap thinning or under nearby trees.