Seo, J.-W., Salminen, H., Jalkanen, R. and Eckstein, D. 2010. Chronological Coherence between Intra-Annual Height and Radial Growth of Scots Pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) in the Northern Boreal Zone of Finland.   Baltic Forestry 16 (1): 57-65

The phenophases of Scots pine, from bud break up to the end of cambium activity, at two sites (approx. 80 and 300 km, respectively, south of the forest border) in the northern boreal zone of Finland were monitored with high time resolution during three growing seasons. Averaged over the study sites and years, bud break occurred in the first half of May. Height growth started in the second half of May and radial growth followed around end of May/beginning of June. Both processes culminated in the second half of June, clearly before the warmest period of the year. Height growth finished by end of June/early July. Lastly, radial growth was completed by end of July/mid-August. Hence, the growing season from bud break to the end of radial growth took on average 87 days. However, annual shoot length and tree-ring width were independent from the duration of height and radial growth as well as from the onset dates for height growth and cambium activity, respectively.

Key words: Scots pine, phenophases, intra-annual height and radial growth, boreal zone