Growth and status of young planted pine stands on a drained transitional mire

Data on growth of young pine stands planted on a drained transitional mire in the middle taiga subzone are reported. The crops were established in 1972 using 2-year-old Scots pine seedlings. Twenty years after planting the stand composition included 90 % planted pines and 10 % natural 40-year-old pines. Thinning of varying intensity and selective harvests were carried out. Between the age of 28 and 42 years the crops were monitored using standard valuation survey methods. Pine cultivation on pre-drained poor transitional mires proved to be a highly efficient practice in forestry. High density young stands of quality class 3 or better have formed in the managed sites. With the original stocking density of 5 500 plants per hectare, and in spite of the natural young stand die-back and thinning of varying intensity, the site by the second age class retained a sufficient number of trees to form a full-fledged high-density stand in the future. In terms of size, trees at 40 years of age were classified as small (56-78 %) and medium-sized (22-45 %). Thus, the managed stand that has formed in the planted site boasts not only high productivity, but also high quality.