Conversion of Norway Spruce (Picea abies [L.] Karst.) Forests in Europe

Traditional forestry, in much of northern and central Europe, has concentrated on growing conifers in plantations for timber and pulp. Increased concern over ecological stability, nature conservation, possible climate change (Ulrich and Puhe 1994), and damage from major storms, with the resulting periods of reduced prices for softwood timber, however, has increased interest in alternative management approaches such as close-to-nature forestry (Das 2001). As a result, the widespread reliance on conifer monocultures has come into question and more stable alternatives, such as site-adapted mixtures of species, often dominated by broadleaves, are under consideration or already employed (Hansen et al. 2003; Spiecker et al. 2004).