Scots Pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) establishment success under climate change: Effect of site, stock type and planting time

Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) is one of the most widespread and economically important coniferous species in the Northern Hemisphere. However, its regeneration success has recently been increasingly affected by global climate change (GCC), particularly through increasing mortality. This research aimed to evaluate the early establishment success of 30 400 bare-root and containerised Scots pine seedlings and saplings of different height classes, planted at various times on acidic and gleyed sites (479–610 m a.s.l.) across four locations in the Czech Republic. On acidic sites, seedlings exhibited 16% higher height growth and 11% lower mortality compared to gleyed sites. Containerised planting stock achieved significantly (P < 0.05) greater height growth (by 83%) and lower mortality (by 36%) than bare-root stock. For containerised material, spring plantings showed superior growth and vitality compared to autumn plantings. Planting stock height class had a stronger influence on height growth than on mortality. Based on the results, planting containerised saplings of 26–35 cm or 36–50 cm height in April is recommended for optimal establishment success of Scots pine under GCC.