Hardwood Regeneration—The Danish Approach

Danish hardwood silviculture is based upon several tenets developed over more than two centuries with species having counterparts with similar silvical characteristics in America. These include, the desirability of even-aged stands, need for abundant stocking, and the importance of genetics. Natural beech regeneration is achieved by a passive program without soil preparation that depends upon openings in the overstory to encourage reproduction or active measures that include soil disturbance during a good seed year. Plantations typically contain about 8,000 seedlings per acre with nurse trees or standards. Oak is regenerated almost exclusively by artificial means planted at the rate of about 4,800 per acre. Ash and the maple may be planted about 2,700 seedlings per acre. Mixed plantations of conifers with hardwoods are sometimes made to gain early revenue from the sale of Christmas trees and greens and small fence poles. Hardwood regeneration procedures are expensive, but even so, the Danes are willing to make this investment on good sites in order to develop productive high-yielding hardwood stands.