Browsing by Subject "digitaalinen paikkatietoaineisto"

Norway spruce (Picea abies) is nowadays generally planted on mounted sites in Finland. When compared to other cultivation methods, it has been noticed that mounding has significantly improved seedlings development and growth. However, inverting is still one of the mounding methods, which has been little examined nor height development models created in Finland. In this study the aim was to generate height development models for Norway spruce in 5-17-years old inverted sites. Two models were created both stand and tree levels. The effect of the model’s predictor variables to the height development was analyzed. Height model at stand level was also compared with the other Norway spruce height models in Finland. The study material consisted of 49 inverted Norway spruce plantations in southern Finland. Total number of sample plots were 853. With the sample plot data, available GIS-data (National Land Survey of Finland and Meteorological Institute) was also used to improve height models accuracy. GIS-data was utilized specially in the tree level model. Whole data was analyzed in SPSS-software where height models were fitted by using Generalized linear models -procedure. Both of the final height models included only significant height predictors. In the both models seedlings age, site type (Cajander 1949) and growing season’s precipitation sum were correlated positively with Norway spruce height. Broad-leaved trees height competition was also noticed to reduce height development in the both models. At the stand level model (RMSE 17 %) seedlings height development was also increased in coarse-grained soils. At the tree level model (RMSE 32,2 %) digital elevation model (DEM) derived topographic variables were correlated well with Norway spruce height. Hillside aspect decreased height development in Southwest, West and Northwest sides of the hill, where afternoon sun typically occur. Seedlings height was also poorer on topographic lowlands like lower slopes and depressions. In the tree level, height development was also decreased according to amount of competitive trees, frost damages, paludification and elevation. The inverting done a year preceding planting increased height development in the tree level model, when compared to the inverting done at the same year with planting. Model comparison at stand level demonstrate that seedlings height development was significantly better on inverted sites than on harrowed or scalpered sites. Interesting found was also that height development on inverted sites was almost identical to the mounted sites height development in the Motti-stand level simulator (Natural Resources Institute Finland). Stand level comparison indicated that Norway spruce growth and development is promising in the inverted sites and it stands comparison to the other mounding methods also. This study also proved that it is possible to utilize GIS-data (National Land Survey of Finland and Meteorological Institute) in trees height modeling.