Effects of harvest intensity in thinnings on the productivity of the remaining stands were studied in two Scots pine(Pinus sylvestrisL.) and two Norway spruce(Picea abies(L.) Karst.) stands in Sweden. Treatments were: conventional stem wood harvest with short‐wood system (CH); whole‐tree harvest (WTH); whole‐tree harvest + compensation fertilization with NPK (WTH + F). No significant treatment differences in basal area increment could be detected during the first 10 yrs after harvest. However, in all four stands mean basal area increment was lower on WTH plots than on CH plots. The effects of WTH + F were inconsistent. The results indicate that WTH could be practiced in thinnings without significant short‐term production losses in Scots pine and Norway spruce stands in Sweden. However, it is to early to draw any definite conclusion on long‐term effects of WTH on site productivity.