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The abstract presents the results of the first experiment using the Stress Test Field of the AnaEE Boreal Forest Regeneration (BoFoReg) platform located in Suonenjoki, Central Finland. Eleven lots of Norway spruce seedlings from different tree seedling nurseries and different genetic backgrounds were planted in the field and exposed to the interactive effects of three warming and two moisture levels. Canopy warming was provided by infrared heaters and below-ground warming by buried resistance heating cables and irrigation through a subsurface drip irrigation system. Seedling performance was assessed during the 2023 growing season and following spring of 2024. Seedling lots varied in response to warming and watering. The study showed Norway spruce may not be as sensitive to warming than earlier thought. Supplemental watering in a rainy summer reduced needle vitality after winter but warming ameliorated some effects of the increased precipitation. The water balance and precipitation control of the Stress Test Field has been further developed.
