Possibilities and challenges of increasing birch with special attention to productivity and risk management

With ProBirch project we increase the visibility and discussions on the role of birch in mixed forests and monocultures. We utilize the long-term experiments results to provide updated information of birch growth and yield. Further, we provide new growth models for birch stands to improve growth predictions at stand level and national level scenario analysis in the future. We estimate the magnitude of genetic gains in various early-rotation traits. We also provide research-based information into the active discussion and decision support of browsing risk management. We will provide synthesis of possibilities and challenges of increasing birch for providing mixed forest and monocultures.

With active dissemination and collaboration with ongoing other projects related to mixed forest will result that results will be utilized widely in practical forestry and decision making at different level. As the impacts, forests will produce more ecosystem services and fulfill the needs of multifunctional forest management in climate change mitigating and increasing biodiversity in the future. This will benefit all stakeholders.