A DENDROCHRONOLOGICAL STUDY OF THE EXPLOITATION AND TRANSFORMATION OFA BOREAL FOREST STAND

The history of a pine dominated (Pinus sylvestris L.) forest stand in northern Sweden was documented by applying dendrochronological crossda ting technique on stumps, down logs and living trees within a small (0 .1 ha) sample plot. The forest stand was exploited for the first time in the early 19th century. At that time it was an old-growth pine fore st. Prior to the exploitation the forest was subjected to forest fires at regular intervals of 40-50 years. During the 19th century the larg e diameter pines were logged and a new stand was naturally regenerated following a forest fire towards the end of the century. In the 20th c entury, active forest management was introduced and the naturally rege nerated stand has been subjected to thinnings and fertilizations, the result being an ordinary pine forest due for clearcutting within the n ext 10-20 years. The results suggest that the dendrochronological meth od used provides an important tool for detailed description of the nat ural history and the exploitation history of a boreal forest. The qual ity and availability of stumps are crucial factors as well as a genera l knowledge of the local forest history.