Hybrid aspen plantations: a new tree for energy and pulp in boreal Estonia

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1 EUROPEAN FOREST NETWORK 2009 REYKJAVÍK SEPTEMBER Hybrid aspen plantations: a new tree for energy and pulp in boreal Estonia professor Hardi Tullus PhD students Tea Soo and Arvo Tullus ESTONIAN UNIVERSITY OF LIFE SCIENCES

2 FINLAND SWEDEN RUSSIA LATVIA

3 Forestry in Estonia More than half of Estonian territory is covered by forests Area of forestland ha 80 % natural stands 20 % semi-natural No practice in plantation forestry until /3 of agricultural fields are abandoned since 1991 World Forestry: 7% planted - 65% production 2% total land half are plantations Plantation as interface: forest - field

4 What is hybrid aspen (Populus x wettsteinii Hämet-Ahti)? Parental species: European aspen (Populus tremula L.) and North American trembling aspen (Populus tremuloides Michx.) First crosses in 1920s in Germany Since 1950s establishment of hybrid aspen plantations started in Sweden and Finland Its uniformly short fibres of a narrow diameter and thin walls are ideal for producing high-quality paper Rotation period years, yield (400) m 3 ha -1 After clear cut a new generation arises from root suckers Considered to be more damage and disease resistant than parental species Considered to be more straight stemmed and better pruning than parental species

5 Hybrid aspen in Estonia 10-year experience with hybrid aspen plantations in Estonia Establishment of hybrid aspen plantations on abandoned agricultural lands started in 1999 Since then hybrid aspen has been cultivated on ca 700 ha Micropropagated plants are used Planting density plants per ha Usually site preparation (ploughing) is necessary Biodegradable plastic tubes and net-like shelters are used to prevent damage by voles, hares and roe deer

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7 Hybrid aspen plantation after the fifth growing season in Estonia. Mean height of the plantation 4.2 m (max height 8.0 m)

8 8 years old plantation 50 years old man

9 ROTATION model I

10 ROTATION model II

11 Experimental areas, research, monitoring 58 experimental plots have been established in fiveyear-old hybrid aspen plantations Dendrometric characteristics (height, diameter at breast height, current annual height increment and canopy dimensions) have been measured. Soil type according to WRB-FAO/UNESCO has been determined. Leaf samples have been taken for chemical analyses A case study with 58 experimental plots has been established for long-term monitoring of biomass production and soil properties. On each plot a detailed soil survey has been made and the contents of main nutrients (N, P, K, Ca, Mg, B) have been determined.

12 Locations of 58 experimental plots established in hybrid aspen plantations in Estonia. All areas have been included to the NOLTFOX database ( )

13 Site conditions for hybrid aspen Mean height of 7-yr-old hybrid aspens growing on different soil moisture conditions

14 Distribution on trees into height classes in 9-yr-old Betula pendula and hybrid aspen plantations on abandoned agricultural land

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16 The height growth of different plantations

17 Establishment costs of hybrid aspen plantation Action Unit Cost, EUR Weed control with herbicide ha 45 Site preparation ha 32 Micropropagated plants á 0.7 Planting with protectors against rodents and hares á 0.3 Tending in the first year ha 16 Depending on the planting density the establishment cost of 1 ha of hybrid aspen plantation may vary between EUR/ha

18 Internal rate of returns from hybrid aspen plantation during 75 years in case of different planting densities, harvested pulpwood volumes and aspen pulpwood prices.

19 Environmental impacts: clonal forestry, monocultures Monocultural plantations on abandoned agricultural lands (especially with exotic species) could favour mass-propagation of pests and diseases Solutions: Different clones should be planted randomly in one plantation because susceptibility to diseases varies between clones Mixed plantations with at least two species e.g. hybrid aspen and spruce

20 Environmental impacts: aesthetic aspects plantations on landscape Regular shaped plantations with straight lines of trees may look alien on landscape Solutions: Mixed stands Location of the plantation should be carefully selected

21 7-year-old hybrid aspens flowering in spring

22 Stem canker

23 Comparison of clones international cooperations: Johann Heinrich von Thünen-Institut (Georg von Wühlisch), SILAVA (Arnis Gailis, Martins Zeps, Dace Auzenbaha), LVM Seeds and Plants (Guntis Grandans), NextForest AB (Anders Håkansson), SkogForsk (Lars-Göran Stener, Lars Rytter), AS Plantex (Valdo Virvelaid).

24 Comparison of clones

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27 Conclusions about hybrid aspen On the basis of the evaluation of environmental interactions the potential risk of the influence of hybrid aspen plantations on the local environment is considered to be low The dimensions of the best plantations and the best trees show the high growth potential of hybrid aspen in Estonian soil and climate conditions More information is needed about interactions between soil conditions and growth rate of hybrid aspen The establishment of a new pulp and paper mill in northern Estonia ensures the demand for hybrid aspen wood in the future

28 Thank You!