Le Nord : revue internationale des Pays de Nord - 01.06.1939, Page 222
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LE NORD
Except in the most exposed coastal districts, the soil over large
parts of Western and Northern Norway is of a high, and even
excellent, quality, and the abundant precipitation would ensure
favourable conditions for natural regeneration, if only the neces-
sary shelter belts were formed. In the inland districts the rough
and broken character of the country affords the necessary pro-
tection.
We are already in possession of evidence showing that several
species in the oldest plantations have begun to reproduce them-
selves naturally. This is, for instance, the case with the American
white spruce, the Pinus montana uncinata, the Scotch and Eu-
ropean larch, and the common spruce. As far as the pine is con-
cerned, the many scattered remnants of natural pine forests along
the entire west coast, and even on some of the islands, afford
numerous examples of natural reproduction.
It is true that the spruce has not shown any very great fer-
tility in the plantations in Western Norway. This may, however,
be due to the phenomenal rate of growth in some of the still
comparatively young plantations, which may not have permitted
the trees to accumulate the necessary substances for flowering
and seeding.
Thus there should be no need to fear that the spruce will not
produce a sufficiency of seeds even in the plantations on the
west coast, although the seed years may occur at greater intervals
in the moist coastal climate than in the dry climate of Eastern
Norway..
As far as the seeding of the spruce in the Northern provinces
is concerned, the first plantations formed in that part of the
country — as for instance in the Malselvdal, more than one
degree north of the northernmost natural spruce forests in Nor-
way — have already repeatedly produced germinating seeds.
An account of the work carried on to reforest the west coast
would not be complete without some mention of the state planta-
tions in those districts. These were started in the 1870’$. They
have been of considerable interest in so far as they have paved
the way for the plantations since made by the Forest Society,
and have served as a guide for the latter both as regards choice
of species and methods of planting. Thanks to these state plan-
tations, and the experience gained from them, the planting may
now be done with better prospects of a satisfoctory result.