%0 Research article
%T Effect of peak runoff control method on growth of Scots pine stands on drained peatlands in central Finland
%A Hökkä, Hannu
%A Hyttinen, Heli
%A Marttila, Hannu
%A Jämsen, Juha
%A Kløve, Bjørn
%D 2011
%J Silva Fennica
%V 45
%N 3
%R doi:10.14214/sf.106
%U https://silvafennica.fi/article/106
%X In drained peatland forests ditch networks need regular maintenance  operations in order to sustain their drainage capacity. These operations  however have a significant impact on the quality of the runoff water  from the ditched areas. Peak runoff control (PRC) method has been  proposed as a possible method to diminish the load to water courses  through retention of the runoff temporarily in the ditch network during  maximum runoff events using dams with a plastic control pipe. However,  blocking water into the ditched area for periods of varying length  during the growing season may have a negative impact on the growth of  the tree stands. In this study past stand growth was investigated in  Central Finland in altogether 10 sample Scots pine thinning stands in  which the PRC method has been applied 5 growing seasons earlier. In each  stand, a pair of sample plots was established: one plot next to the dam  within the influence of periodic flooding and the other one outside the  effect of periodic flooding. For determining stand growth, field  measurements were made in August 2009. Stand growth near the dam was on  average 0.54 m<sup>3</sup> ha<sup>-1</sup> a<sup>-1</sup> lower than  farther away from the dam but the analysis of covariance showed that the  dam effect was not significant. The results of this study suggest that  the PCR method does not decrease Scots pine stand growth during the  first five year growth period after ditch cleaning.