This diploma thesis analyzes the species of Dawn Redwood (Metasequoia glyptostroboides Hu et Cheng) since it is relatively new and has not been researched extensively. The knowledge about non-native tree species and their growth requirements is of key importance in deciding on its usage as a species of economic value. The live archive at Zadobrova, which was established by the Slovenian Forestry Institute in 1993 and 1994, has been analyzed. The trees have been grown from original seeds from an area in China where it was first described (locus classicus). The measurements of all the trees on the plantation were carried out in 2000 and 2006. For the purpose of this diploma, they were taken again in 2020, and the latest data has been analyzed and compared to the previous ones. It has been found that the incidence of reproductive organs, such as cones and male strobili, correlates to the diameter and height of trees, but not to the position in the plantation. The trunks’ ridges do not depend on the position in the plantation; however they vary significantly from one tree to the next. The light and the position in the plantation are not the only factors affecting the characteristics of individual trees; the genotype has an even greater impact. This analysis of the Dawn Redwood live archive and data on the species gathered in this thesis represent significant value and usefulness for potentially using Dawn Redwood in the forest and planting it in Slovenia in the future.
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