Differences in growth and log quality of Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii (Mirb.) Franco) provenances

Smolnikar, Peter (author), Brus, Robert (author), Jarni, Kristjan (author)

Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii (Mirb.) Franco) is a non-native conifer from western North America that was introduced into European forests at the end of the 19th century. Plantations of Douglas-fir in Europe have shown good performance, quality, and resilience to exacerbating climatic conditions. However, all these qualities strongly depend on provenance. A total of 1061 surviving trees of fifteen different Douglas-fir provenances were measured in a Slovenian provenance trial that was established within the framework of the 1966/1967 IUFRO seed collection program. We found significant differences among provenances with respect to survival rate, growth performance, and log quality. The total recorded yield of the 46-year-old stand was 602.9 m$^3$/ha, and the average survival rate was 43%. The correlation of juvenile tree heights in 1985 and their average breast height diameters in 2017 is positive and significant. Based on vitality and diameter, the best performing provenances were Yelm and Cathlamet. The provenance with the best log quality assessed through branchiness is Jefferson (Olympic Peninsula, western Washington). All the most promising provenances for western Slovenia (Central Europe) originate from the low-altitude western coast of Washington (WACO), with the Cathlamet provenance showing the best combination of good growth, survival rate, and log quality.

• Language: English
• Keywords: coniferous plantation, IUFRO provenance trial, non-native species, variability, growth, branching
• Work type: Article
• Typology: 1.01 - Original Scientific Article
• Organization: BF - Biotechnical Faculty
• Publication status: Published
• Publication version: Version of Record
• Year: 2021
• Number of pages: 11 str.
• Numbering: Vol. 12, iss. 3, art. 287
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-125159
• UDC: 630*1
• ISSN on article: 1999-4907
• DOI: 10.3390/f12030287
• COBISS.SI-ID: 53578499
• Publication date in RUL: 05.03.2021

Record is a part of a journal

• Title: Forests
• Shortened title: Forests
• Publisher: MDPI
• ISSN: 1999-4907
• COBISS.SI-ID: 3872166

Licences

• License: CC BY 4.0, Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
• Link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
• Description: This is the standard Creative Commons license that gives others maximum freedom to do what they want with the work as long as they credit the author.
• Licensing start date: 02.03.2021

Secondary language

• Language: Slovenian
• Keywords: nasadi iglavcev, tujerodne vrste, preizkušanje