Plant Deliverance in 2020/2021 Categorized as Improved/Unimproved
In the following we present deliverance of plants to the forestry categorized as improved and unimproved material. The purpose of this partition is to compare the use of material that has been genetically improved, typically as part of a forest tree breeding program, with the use of material not subject to genetic improvement. We have defined improved material as plants from seeds classified as "qualified" or "tested" according to the OECD classification (table 1 in the chapter "Seed Production per OECD Category"). Unimproved is here defined as any other material than improved.
Picea abies
Figure 15
The stacks in this chapter represents rounded percentage of the total amount in thousand seedlings.
Finland: 102.474
Iceland: 1
Norway: 43.540
Sweden: 197.000
Pinus sylvestris
Figure 16
Finland: 43.937
Norway: 1753
Sweden: 237.000
Betula spp.
Figure 17
Finland: 5411
Iceland: 2012
Norway: 60
Sweden: 1800
Larix spp.
Figure 18
Finland: 178
Iceland: 372
Sweden: 3700
Norway
The demand for plants and seeds from pine is increasing, and Norwegian forestry has a clear preference for improved material. This is mainly imported from Sweden as seeds or plants. Skogfrøverkets (Norwegian Forest Seed Center) sale of pine seeds increased by 223% from 2020 to 2021. 85% of sales are domestic stand seed. Much of the demand for pine seed for plant production is now covered by improved seed from Sweden, which has made it possible to sell more stand seed in Eastern Norway for direct sowing in forest. Skogfrøverket has started a breeding program for pine (Pinus sylvestris) that will provide second generation seed materials from Norwegian orchards in approximately 15-20 years.