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The European Forest Institute (EFI) has five Research and Development priority ar eas: forest sustainability, forestry and possible climate change, structural changes in markets for forest products and services, policy analysis, and forest sector informa tion services and research methodology. In the area of forest sustainability our most important activity has been the project "Growth trends of European forests", the re sults of which are presented in this book. The project was started in August 1993 under the leadership of Prof. Dr. Heinrich Spiecker from the University of Freiburg, Germany, and it is one of the first EFI´s research projects after its establishment in 1993. The main purpose of the project was to analyse whether site productivity has changed in European forests during the last decades. While several forest growth studies have been published at local, re gional and national levels, this project has aimed at stimulating a joint effort in iden tifying and quantifying possible growth trends and their spatial and temporal extent at the European level. Debate on forest decline and possible climate change, as well as considerations re lated to the long term supply of wood underline the importance of this project, both from environmental and industrial points of view. Knowledge on possible changes in growth trends is vital for the sustainable management of forest ecosystems.

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Construction of a 7500-Year Tree-Ring Record for Scots Pine (Pinus sylvestris, L.) in Northern Fennoscandia and its Application to Growth Variation and Palaeoclimatic Studies.- Growth Trends of Forests in Finland and North-Western Russia.- Short- and Long-Term Natural Trends of Scots Pine (Pinus sylvestris, L.) Radial Growth in North- and Mid-Taiga Forests in Karelia.- Growth Trends of Scots Pine (Pinus sylvestris, L.) in, Unmanaged and Regularly Managed Stands in Southern and Central Finland.- Studies on Growth Trends of Forests in Sweden and Norway.- Stability of Site Index in Scots Pine (Pinus sylvestris, L.) Plantations over Year of Planting in the Period 1900-1977 in Sweden.- Long-Term Changes in Site Index in Growth and Yield Experiments with Norway Spruce (Picea abies, [L.] Karst) and Scots Pine (Pinus sylvestris, L.) in Sweden.- Increasing Site Productivity During Consecutive Generations of Naturally Regenerated and Planted Beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) in Denmark.- Height Growth Investigations of Norway Spruce (Picea abies, [L.] Karst.) in the Eastern Part of Germany During the Last Century.- Growth Trends of Forests in Southern Germany.- Has Site Productivity Changed? A Case Study in the Eastern Swabian Alb, Germany.- Forest Decline and Growth Trends in Central Europe - a Review.- Long-Term Growth Trends of Trees: Ten Years of Dendrochronological Studies in France.- Growth Trends of Trees. Regional Study on Norway Spruce (Picea abies, [L.] Karst.) in the Swiss Jura.- Growth Trends of Swiss Forests: Tree-Ring Data. Case Study Toppwald.- Growth Patterns in Forests of the Canton of Berne, Switzerland, Based on Inventory Data.- Diameter and Basal Area Increment in Permanent Growth and Yield Plots in Switzerland.- A Comparison of Analytical Approaches for Detecting Diameter Growth Trends: Case Studies from Switzerland.- Growth Trends in Austria.- Volume and Height Growth of Fully Stocked Mature Beech Stands in Slovenia During the Past Three Decades.- Case Studies of Growing Stock and Height Growth Evolution in Spanish Forests.- Growth Trends in Portuguese Forests: An Exploratory Analysis.- Discussion.- Conclusions and Summary.

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