Strip cutting management in Scots pine stands on peatlands – a financial comparison to rotation forestry

ABSTRACT Even-aged management (rotation forestry, RF) involves ditch network maintenance (DNM) operations in peatlands. Although the DNM operations contribute tree growth, they have negative environmental effects on watercources. To avoid DNM, a strip cutting (SC) management has been proposed. SC management in peatlands relies on natural regeneration by trees growing on the edge stand next to a clear-cut strip. The width of a cut strip varies, and here 20, 35 and 50 m strip width were applied in three locations in Finland: Akaa (southern), Kuopio (central), and Oulu (northern Finland). Tree growth of an edge stand and sapling stand was modeled with a stand-level model which accounted for the effect of dominant height of the edge stand and variation of shading among alternative strip widths. In southern location, RF financially outperformed SC management with interest rates 2–4%, but with a 5% interest rate and strip with of 35 or 50 m SC management was more beneficial than RF. In central and northern locations RF was better only with a 2% interest rate and with a 20 m strip width. Our results demonstrate that SC management is a financially valid option to apply in pine-dominated peatlands, particularly in northern regions.