Toward Continuous Cover Forestry on Boreal Lowlands – Hydrological Responses to Partial Harvesting

Interest towards continuous cover forestry (CCF) has grown in recent years as it is considered more favorable from environmental perspectives than even-aged management. CCF could be particularly feasible on peatlands and other lowland soils as continuously maintaining a tree cover with significant evapotranspiration capacity could decrease the need for artificial drainage. Clear cutting, site preparation, and regular cleaning of drainage ditches increase greenhouse gas emissions and affect water quality by releasing sediment, nutrients and carbon to water bodies. Whereas even-aged management on peatlands relies on these intensive and environmentally adverse practices, regeneration in CCF forests would occur naturally and evapotranspiration of the tree stand would play a key role in maintaining drainage conditions. Partial harvest is an essential component of CCF and our study focuses on understanding its impacts on hydrology. The study site comprises a fertile drained peatland forest in Southern Finland, ...