The first silver birch (Betula pendula Roth) plantations aimed at short-rotation forestry (SRF) management were established in Estonia in 1999 on former arable land, as experimental and demonstration areas of this novel land use and silvicultural system. Growth and plant–soil relations in such silver birch plantations have more often been studied at a young age (Oxalis and Oxalis-Myrtillus forest site types. Available water content in the topsoil layer (0–25 cm) had a significant positive effect on the growth rate of birches, with competitively dominant and medium trees more affected. The topsoil pHKCl (range 3.7–7.1) level had a negative effect on growth rate, especially in suppressed trees. The A-horizon of former agricultural soils had provided sufficient nutrients to ensure high productivity of the trees. During the 13 years between the two monitorings, concentrations of the topsoil total N and available P had remained at the same level, while available K and pHKCl had decreased significantly.