Influence of planting site in microelevations on the growth of pine and spruce crops in the taiga zone

Increasing the efficiency of the creation of forest crops is an important aspect of artificial reforestation. Appropriate tillage and planting site selection can improve crop quality. The purpose of this study was to analyze the influence of the planting site in the mounds created by the excavator on the biometric indicators of pine and spruce seedlings to develop regulations for the selection  of the location of seedlings in planting sites when creating forest crops in the taiga zone. In the course of the survey, 32 forest cultivation areas of different ages (1-10 years) in the Arkhangelsk Region and the Komi Republic were inventoried. Forest crops were created by seedlings of Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) and Norway spruce (Picea abies (L.) Karst. x P. obovata (Ledeb.)) with closed and open root systems. Soil cultivation was carried out by creating micro-elevations with the help of excavators. A detailed assessment of the growth of pine and spruce (about 2 thousand pieces) planted in different places within the micro-elevation was carried out on the forest cultivation areas, with the measurement of height, trunk diameter at soil surface level and height growth over the past 1-3 years. The results of the study show that in the first years after planting, the growth of pine and spruce does not depend on the location of the planting place in the microelevation: “at the pit” (increased part of the microelevation), “center”, “from the pit” (reduced part of the microelevation). Differences in height begin to affect by the age of 6-7 years. The best indicators of height, diameter at the root neck and average height gain for 1-3 years are observed in seedlings planted in the center of the microelevation, and the lowest – in the edge, at the pit formed when the soil is captured by a bucket.

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