A White Pine Provenance Study in the Southern Appalachians
Authors: | Earl R. Sluder |
Year: | 1963 |
Type: | Research Paper |
Station: | Southern Research Station |
Source: | Res. Pap. SE-2. Asheville, NC: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Southeastern Forest Experiment Station. 19 p. |
Abstract
Intensive forest management demands high rates of return, and these are affected by such things as growth rate per acre and quality of wood produced. It is necessary therefore to use trees that grow rapidly and produce wood of the best possible quality in the specific characteristics desired. Such trees can be developed through genetic improvement of commercially important species.Provenance studies such as the one eported in this paper are important sources of basic information for tree improvement programs. This study is being conducted on three Southern Appalachian sites using provenances of white pine (Pinus strobus L. ) from throughout the range. Height and survival data taken from the plantations after three growing seasons indicate significant differences among provenances and a strong correlation between height growth and latitude of the seed source. The study will be continued for a number of years to observe the effect of time on these and other relationships.