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European beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) timber value is high in southern Europe due to a great demand from Asia. Since the timber market is global, over a long time we can expect gradual increase in demand also in other countries, including Latvia, where climatic conditions becomes increasingly more suitable for this species due to ongoing climatic changes. In order to develop recommendation for the use of beech in our country, the aim of the study was to assess the potential financial gain from Fagus sylvatica stands in Latvia. Assortment structure, defined by topdiameter and length, as well as their prices was set based on the literature survey. Results showed higher income from older (115 years) than form younger (58 years) stands: 9108 EUR ha -1 , and 7939 EUR ha -1 , respectively. However, the opposite was true for the net present value (r = 3%): 1423 EUR ha -1 and 304 EUR ha -1 , respectively.

No abstract

To identify general patterns in the effect of climate-driven changes in the outbreak frequency of forest defoliating species, we examined 60 years of records (1950–2010) of outbreaks of five defoliating species. Data on Lymantria dispar, Lymantria monacha, Bupalus piniarius, Panolis flammea, and Operophtera brumata from five Central European countries (Slovakia, Czech Republic, Austria, Hungary, and Germany), where the current climate is comparable with the projections of climate for the Eastern Baltic region by the end of the 21st century, were analyzed. Time series approach was applied to estimate the linkage between outbreaks and climate warming. Mean annual, summer, and winter deviations for the period of 1850 to 1900 were assessed as proxies of warming. To estimate the legacy effect, warming proxies were lagged by one year. Among those tested, warming proxies showed a linkage with outbreaks. Three significant outbreaks occurred in the analyzed period (at the beginning and end of the period). During the middle part of the analyzed period, the frequency and magnitude of outbreaks were low, implicating a higher insect outbreak risk with warming in Central Europe. In the latter part of the analyzed period, more frequent yet smaller outbreaks occurred, which supports the outbreak linkage with one-year lag, summer, and annual temperatures.

The economic importance of fast-growing tree species like silver birch (Betula pendula Roth.) is increasing due to growing demand for timber. Tree breeding provides the opportunity to increase the timber supply and thus ensure the most efficient use of forest land. Application of the results of a breeding program—the planting of young stands—is costly, and information on (potential) early income for the landowner from this investment is scarce. Therefore, the aim of this study was to characterize the gain from the use of improved silver birch material at the first commercial thinning. Material was collected from an open-pollinated progeny trial of 524 silver birch plus-trees at the age of 14 years in the central part of Latvia. Incomes from the first thinning were calculated at low and high timber prices. Heritability of growth traits (assessed as diameter at breast height) and timber value at first thinning were similar. Both timber market fluctuations and genetics had a notable impact on economic outcome: the internal rate of return for the selected best-performing families was 9.4% and 8.3% in the case of high and low timber prices, respectively; on average, for all families in the trial the figures were 8.1% and 6.7%, respectively. Results indicate profitability for investments in planting of improved regeneration material, even at a young age, in hemiboreal forests.