Experimental revegetation of the regulated lake Ontojärvi in northern Finland

Eroded sandy areas in Ontojarvi lake, partly protected by mechanical barriers, were planted with littoral helophytes and bushes over 2 years. Several species were planted on the shore which had been treated with different peat mixtures, a commercial erosion-resistant carpet, and in other ways. After the first summer, the average survival rates were 45 per cent, much loss arising from the drying of seedlings. After the high water level period of 1991, only 20 per cent of individual plants had survived. The best results were obtained for the helophyte Carex rostrata Stokes and tall willows (Salix phylicifolia) whose survival rates were 30 and 80 per cent, respectively.