%0 Articles
%T Effects of nitrogen fertilization on stand growth and ground vegetation dynamics in boreal Scots pine and Norway spruce stands
%A Jetsonen, Johanna
%D 2026
%J Dissertationes Forestales
%V 2026
%N 389
%R doi:10.14214/df.389
%U http://dissertationesforestales.fi/article/26007
%X Boreal forests are typically nitrogen (N) limited. Therefore, N fertilization may substantially affect carbon (C) sequestration and biomass production of trees and ground vegetation, which contribute to climate change mitigation. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of N fertilization on stand growth and ground vegetation dynamics in boreal Scots pine (<i>Pinus sylvestris</i> L.) and Norway spruce (<i>Picea abies</i> (L.) H. Karst.) stands. Systematic quantitative literature synthesis was conducted to analyze the effects of N fertilization on stand growth (Study <b>I</b>). The short-term impacts of N fertilization on the cover of ground vegetation were studied in a field experiment in Eastern Finland (Study <b>II</b>). Nitrogen fertilization increased the stand growth 0.2–2.7 m<sup>3</sup> ha<sup>-1</sup> yr<sup>-1</sup>. The amount of applied N was the most important factor predicting the stand volume growth response. The growth response increased linearly with increasing fertilizer dose until 208 kg N ha<sup>-1</sup>. The volume growth response depended also on the site type, annual precipitation, and time since fertilization. When studying ground vegetation dynamics, we found that the total cove​r of ground vegetation tended to decrease with increasing N fertilizer dose, due to decrease in the moss cover. Site fertility and climatic conditions should be considered when making fertilization decisions. The results suggest that a single N fertilization using recommended N doses increases stand growth but has no substantial impact on the ground vegetation.