ABSTRACT
Forested wetlands form an important renewable resource of wood. Some of these sites support tree growth already in their natural state, but forest drainage has made wood production the most extensive mode of utilizing forested wetlands sustainably. From the point of view of wetland forestry, however, it is not always necessary to separate the sites from each other according to the peat thickness; excessive water in the substrate is the common, most important growth-limiting factor. In wetland forestry, soil drainage is conducted almost exclusively with open ditches. Drainage ditches should be 80 to 90 cm deep. Shallower water furrows are used on open mires mainly for soil preparation for planting and only secondarily for local drainage. Canadian forestry is gradually changing from exploitation toward a planned utilization of forest resources on a renewable basis. Forest amelioration activities on forested mires and waterlogged mineral soils are part of the normal forestry practices in Fennoscandinavia.
