%0 Research Notes
%T Evaluation of the need for ditch network maintenance in northern Finland
%A Lauhanen, Risto
%A Piiroinen, Marja-Leena
%A Penttilä, Timo
%A Kolehmainen, Eero
%D 1998
%J Suo - Mires and peat
%V 49
%N 3
%U http://suo.fi/article/9777
%X Factors affecting the need for ditch network maintenance in northern Finland were studied. In addition, the effect of ditch network maintenance on stand growth was estimated. A dataset containing ditch, tree stand, site type and climate variables was built up on the basis of the permanent sample plots (SINKA) on peatlands. Regression analysis as well as discriminant analysis were used to identify factors and criteria that could be used to identify sites that would respond to ditch network maintenance. Instead of the ditch condition class, ditch age and depth proved to be the variables reflecting the need for ditch network maintenance. The volume of the tree stand was influenced the most by the temperature sum and age of ditching. Stand volume growth was influenced the most by the volume of the tree stand. The site type index or the volume of the tree stand did not give useful information for the planning of ditch network maintenance. When ditch age was 10-40 years, complementary ditching increased annual stand growth of pine mires by 0.6-1.0 and 1.5-1.9 m3 ha-1 a-1 on spruce-birch swamps.