| Summary: | In Iceland, fields of Nootka lupine that were originally created for ecosystem rehabilitation can be utilized for afforestation purposes, provided that suitable plantation establishment methods are employed. Field experiments were conducted in South Iceland in which the planting of cuttings from two black cottonwood clones were prepared using three mechanical methods in addition to an undisturbed control plot. The first year results are reported here. Site preparation was effective in increasing survival and growth of planted cuttings at both sites. Rotavation generally was the most effective method employed as it provided the cottonwood plants with early relief from competing vegetation. Clone differences were found in plant growth, but these were site specific, most likely due to climatic differences between sites. However, the clones displayed no interaction with the site preparation methods. The results suggest that site preparation is an important factor during the plant establishment phase for black cottonwood plantations in fields of Nootka lupine.
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