The biomass potential of some selected native and non-native species for afforestation - a case study from western Norway

The potential of increased biomass production and raised carbon sequestration in forest to mitigate climate change has actualized tree species choice.Biomass production in mature plantations of eighteen non-native tree species located on the west coast of Norway were compared with neighbor stands of seven native tree species in three research areas.Validated biomass functions were available for the native species Norway spruce, Scots pine and Downy birch, for the other selected species we applied specific wood gravity records from Norwegian stands combined with biomass expansion factors to estimate aboveground dry matter production.In stands of Sitka spruce in western Norway, local yield class of 24m 3 ha -1 yr -1 age 80years and a mean aboveground biomass production of 10.6tons ha -1 yr -1 were recorded, similar productivity levels as reported in highly productive Sitka spruce stands in Pacific North West, Ireland and Scotland.In comparison to Downy birch stands the biomass production gain in Sitka spruce is in the range from 3 to 5 folds.Several of the minor used non-native tree species like Japanese larch, European larch, Siberian stone pine, Douglas fir, Western hemlock and Lodgepole pine are locally shown to more than double the biomass production compared to Downy birch.For the other non-native species examined in these coastal sites biomass production compared to Norway spruce is similar or lower.Our results suggest that Sitka spruce and some other non-native tree species rarely applied in coastal Norway have a great potential for increased biomass production and as a tool for increased carbon sequestration during the green shift.