Improvement of direct seeding and site preparation

Silver birch can be seeded in autumn, too

The project set out to study optimal use areas of old and new seeding and site preparation methods and to improve them for better seeding results. Positive correlation between laboratory and field germination was found. For Scots pine and Norway spruce seeding in spring and early summer were more successful than seeding in autumn. For silver birch a late seeding in autumn was just as successful as a spring seeding, while spring seeding was much better for coniferous trees than for silver birch. Mineral soil was a better substrate for seeding than humus. The germination rate of Scots pine seeding increased drastically when seeds were placed in small holes and were covered by a thin layer of mineral soil.

Additional information on the project: www.metla.fi/hanke/3237/index-en.htm