Raising Forest Tree Seedlings at Home:

Transcription

1 Raising Forest Tree Seedlings at Home: Simple Methods for Growing Conifers of the Pacific Northwest From Seeds R. Kasten Dumroese Thomas D. Landis David L. Wenny

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3 Raising Forest Tree Seedlings at Home: Simple Methods for Growing Conifers of the Pacific Northwest From Seeds About the Authors Kas Dumroese is Research Associate at the Forest Research Nursery, Department of Forest Resources, College of Forestry, Wildlife, and Range Sciences, University of Idaho, Moscow, Idaho. Tom Landis is National Nursery Specialist with the USDA Forest Service Cooperative Forestry Program in Portland, Oregon. Dave Wenny is Director of the Forest Research Nursery and Professor in the Department of Forest Resources, College of Forestry, Wildlife, and Range Sciences, University of Idaho, Moscow, Idaho. Acknowledgements With this publication, we update Collecting Forest Tree Seeds and Growing Your Own Seedlings, written in 1975 by Bernard S. Douglass and Frank A. Ter Bush and published by the USDA Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Region, Portland, Oregon. A useful source of information for us was Guidelines for Handling Seeds and Seedlings to Ensure Vigorous Stock, written in 1986 by David R. DeYoe and published as Special Publication 13 by the Forest Research Laboratory, Oregon State University, Corvallis. Another good source of information from which we borrowed liberally was Raising Forest Tree Seedlings at Home, reprinted in 1981 as PNW 96, A Pacific Northwest Cooperative Extension Publication by the University of Idaho, University of Washington, and Oregon State University. The original Raising Forest Tree Seedlings at Home was planned by a committee empowered by the Clackamas County, Oregon, Farm Forestry Association in We thank everyone involved with these publications. We also thank Lorraine Ashland at the University of Idaho College of Forestry, Wildlife, and Range Sciences for her line drawing of proper planting techniques, and Pat Wells at the USDA Forest Service Rocky Mountain Experiment Station for his assistance with the cone processing portion of this booklet. We are especially indebted to Kent Giard for his scanning expertise and original artwork. We also thank the following for reviewing drafts of the manuscript: Bob Brunskill, Seed Orchard Manager (retired), Plum Creek Timber Company, Whidbey Island, Washington; Mark Montville, Manager, Plum Creek Timber Company Forest Nursery, Pablo, Montana; Denise Ortiz, Editor, Idaho Forest, Wildlife and Range Experiment Station, University of Idaho, Moscow; Dr. Deborah Page-Dumroese, Soil Scientist, USDA Forest Service Rocky Mountain Experiment Station, Moscow, Idaho; and Dr. Robert Tripepi, Professor, Plant, Soil and Entomological Sciences, College of Agriculture, University of Idaho, Moscow. RAISING FOREST TREE SEEDLINGS AT HOME 3

4 Quotations John Evelyn is quoted from his book Sylva: Or a Discourse of Forest Trees & The Propagation of Timber, Vol. II. published in 1664 and reprinted in London by Arthur Doubleday & Company Limited. Andrew S. Fuller is quoted from his book The Forest Tree Culturist: A Treatise on the Cultivation of American Forest Trees, with Notes on the Most Valuable Foreign Species published in 1866 in New York, New York, by G.E. & F.W. Woodward. Aldo Leopold is quoted from his book A Sand County Almanac published in 1949 in New York, New York, by Oxford University Press, Inc. Trade Names Trade names are used for the information and convenience of the reader and do not imply endorsement or preferential treatment by the University of Idaho or the USDA Forest Service. Caution Pesticides We discuss the use of pesticides. Pesticides can injure humans, domestic animals, and fish or other wildlife if they are not handled and applied appropriately. Read the label before purchasing and using pesticides. Use all pesticides selectively and carefully to protect yourself, others, and our environment. Follow label directions for disposal of surplus pesticides and pesticide containers. Publication of this booklet was made possible by a grant from the USDA Forest Service Cooperative Programs Pacific Northwest Region Idaho Forest, Wildlife, and Range Experiment Station Contribution Number 860 December RAISING FOREST TREE SEEDLINGS AT HOME

5 Contents C H A P T E R O N E Should I Grow My Own Seedlings? The Right Tree for the Right Place 5 C H A P T E R T W O It Starts With Seeds Collecting Cones Seed Pre-treatments Germination Testing 15 C H A P T E R T H R E E Growing Seedlings Growing Bareroot Seedlings Growing Seedlings in Containers Growing Plug+one Transplants 32 C H A P T E R F O U R Field Planting Considerations Microsites Proper Planting Techniques Controlling Weeds Controlling Animal Damage 34 C H A P T E R F I V E Keeping Records 37 C H A P T E R S I X Appendices 39 RAISING FOREST TREE SEEDLINGS AT HOME 5

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