Quality management of forest regeneration activities

Abstract

The purpose of this thesis was to find out what are the main factors that have to be taken into account in planning, controlling and improving the quality of forest regeneration activities. The forest regeneration services provided for the non-industrial privately-owned forests in Southern Finland by the local Forest Owners’ Associations (FOAs) were used as an example. Since the original assumptions of quality management were not completely valid in this context, Lillrank’s classification of production processes was used. The classification fit well for this field of services, and a tentative framework for modelling and standardisation of forest regeneration service processes was proposed for further testing. The results of regeneration and costs varied considerably between the service providers at different levels. The jointly analysed inventory results and feedback provided a sound starting point for tackling the main causes of the statistical variation observed. The inventory results indicated that the selection of proper methods of regeneration and the way they were executed were the most common factors influencing the quality of service outcomes. The cost–quality analysis of the two most common chains of regeneration revealed an improvement potential for the cost-efficiency of these services. In the case of Norway spruce (Picea abies (L.) Karst.) planting the regeneration costs were only weakly related to quality. As for direct seeding of Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) direct seeding, a significant positive correlation was found. However, the selection of this chain of regeneration for the MT (Myrtillus type) and more fertile site types produced poor regeneration results. In the case of Norway spruce planting, the most important factor explaining the outcomes was soil preparation. Selection of mounding produced better results than patching and disc trenching. In the FOAs, the effect of quality management interventions was observable especially regarding the improvement of resource allocation and practices related to soil preparation.