The preliminary comparison of plots selected from the European stem-number experiment on Norway spruce presented in this report corroborates several generally accepted assumptions on tree growth as well as some disputed issues. A wealth of additional and more detailed information is to be expected by the analysis planned by the researchers responsible for the different experiments. To prepare this report, from each experiment still under observation in 2000 the plot displaying the best height growth was included from each of the three selected treatments: T1: no thinning, T2: early thinning, and T3: late thinning, respectively.
