Exploring Douglas-fir as a viable alternative softwood to Scots pine at poor sandy soil sites

The potential of Douglas-fir to replace Scots pine on sandy soils in the Czech Republic was analyzed, focusing on climate–growth interactions, timber quality, and stand structure. The study compared physical and mechanical wood properties (density, shrinkage, bending strength, elasticity), production potential, and inventory data. At 17 years, Douglas-fir reached a mean tree volume of 0.021 m3 versus Scots pine’s 0.002 m3. By 29 years, Douglas-fir production reached 0.167 m3 and sequestered 121.4 t ha−1 of carbon, compared to 0.044 m3 and 81.2 t ha−1 for Scots pine. Radial growth of Scots pine was limited by low precipitation, while Douglas-fir was constrained by high air temperature. Douglas-fir wood had a higher wood density (581 kg m−3) than Scots pine (451 kg m−3). These findings suggest that Douglas-fir is a promising alternative to Scots pine for production forests on sandy soils in Central Europe.