Environmental and economic performance of forestry on drained peatlands was reviewed to consider whether continuous cover forestry (CCF) could be a feasible alternative to even-aged management (EM). CCF was regarded feasible particularly because continuously maintaining a tree stand with significant transpiration and interception capacity would decrease the need for ditch network maintenance. Managing CCF forests in such a way that the ground water levels are lower than in clear-cut EM forests but higher than in mature EM forests could decrease greenhouse gas emissions and negative water quality impacts caused both by anoxic redox reactions and oxidation and mineralization of deep peat layers. Regeneration studies indicated potential for satisfactory natural regeneration under CCF on drained peatlands. An economic advantage in CCF over EM is that fewer investments are needed to establish the forest stand and sustain its growth. Thus, even if the growth of trees in CCF forests were lower than in EM forests, CCF could at least 2 in some peatland sites turn out to be a more profitable forest management regime. An advantage of CCF from the viewpoint of socially optimal forest management is that it plausibly reduces the negative externalities of management compared to EM. We propose that future research in drained peatland forests should focus on assessing the economic and environmental feasibility of CCF.

In drained, forested peatlands, ditch network maintenance (DNM) is often considered necessary for tree growth, but it also constitutes additional management costs. Commercial thinnings, in turn, in addition to their silvicultural benefits, are generally applied to enhance the financial performance of stand management but results from peatland stands are scarce. In this study, our aim was to find financially feasible management practices for Scots pine-dominated stands on drained peatland sites in Finland. Using mainly inventory data sets, we compiled altogether 29 typical model-stands for four climatic areas, four site types, and two stand conditions according to need for silvicultural care. We used MOTTI stand simulator to predict the development of the model-stands according to different management regimes consisting of various combinations of 0-2 DNM and 0-2 thinnings with different timings and thinning intensities. We then calculated and compared the financial feasibility of the regimes using net present value (NPV; discount rate 3%) analysis. The separate effect of DNM on the profitability was marginal, but the positive effect of thinnings was clear. The harvesting removals varied within a wide range, depending on the timing and intensity of thinnings, but on average, the NPV doubled due to the thinnings. In the stands of initially good silvicultural condition, regimes including only one thinning and a DNM operation generally displayed a good financial result. In the stands of initially poor silvicultural condition due to neglected early care, regimes with two thinnings produced the best NPV regardless of the often low-yielding first thinning.

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The inherent structural dynamics of drained peatland forests may result in a great variation in various wood and fi ber properties. We examined variation in fi ber and pulp properties i) among stands, ii) among trees within stands, and iii) within trees in young stands dominated by Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.). The stands, selected to cover a maximal range of the potential variation, were all at a stage of development where the fi rst commercial thinnings would be feasible. Differences in the processability of the thinning removals were small. In similar kraft cooking conditions, a 5-unit variation in the kappa number of unbleached pulp was observed among the stands. Stand origin had no effect on pulp bleaching. The wood formed prior to drainage had a higher density, shorter fi bers, was slightly slower delignifi ed by cooking, and its yield was slightly lower than that of post-drainage wood. These properties, except for high density, are typical for juvenile wood in general, and at stand level they did not correlate with the proportion of pre-drainage wood. When the variation in fi ber and pulp properties was broken down into its components, most of it was derived from tree-level in all the cases. On average, the fi ber and pulp properties did not differ from those observed for fi rst-thinning pulpwood from upland sites. Consequently, peatland-grown pulpwood may be mixed with other pulpwood in industrial processes. It would probably be best suited as the raw material for pulps with high bonding requirements, e.g. in the top ply of multi-ply board grades or in some specialty grades.

The demand for and supply of forest biomass have both been increasing in recent years, which will set new requirements for forest management. Thus, new studies on regionally suitable forest management regimes to fulfill the needs of potential new investments and the impacts on wood supply potential on regional socioeconomic welfare are called for. The aim of this study was to examine the impacts of intensive forest management due to increased demand for wood biomass, from the regional economy point of view. In particular, the impact of intensive forest management on 1) regional gross domestic product (GDP), 2) private consumption, and 3) employment were assessed. The study was carried out by using computable general equilibrium (CGE) modelling combined with the requisite statistics and simulation of regional forest potential in the future. The results showed that total regional forest biomass supply with more intensive forest management could be increased annually on average by 26% (1.7 Mm 3) by 2030 compared to the business as usual (BAU) scenario. In this study, regional demand was increased by a hypothetical saw mill (0.5 Mm 3) and biorefinery (0.7 Mm 3). Total regional socioeconomic benefits could be 2.8% (€150 M) for GDP, 1.5% (€49 M) for private consumption and 1.6% (780 person-years) for employment, larger by 2030 than in the BAU scenario including multiplier effects. The study demonstrated how much regional socioeconomic welfare would increase if regional wood demand with new investments combined with more intensive forest management and wood supply had more attention paid to it.