East Kootenay interior lodgepole pine seed orchard progeny testing

Project number: EP 770.20

District: Rocky Mountain Forest District

Objective

To estimate genetic gain in height and volume growth of parent trees (clones) in the East Kootenay low elevation seed orchard.

Treatment

Thirty-six wind pollinated families and seven operational control wild seedlots are planted on two sites.

Layout

A randomised complete block design is used with a four-tree row plot of each genetic entry (family or wild control seedlot) in each of eight blocks.

History

• 1999 sites prepared and staked out in fall
• 2000 planted in spring
• 2001 annual maintenance

Comments

East Kootenay seed orchard parents (45) have been selected from progeny testing projects in the Thompson, Okanagan and Nelson seed planning zones. Only parents with origins above 1,000 meters elevation were considered for the East Kootenay orchard. The East Kootenay orchard will provide improved seed for an elevation range of 800 - 1,500 meters. Because orchard parents have not been tested in East Kootenay environments, it was necessary to do so in order to avoid any possible problems of maladaptation and to quantify productivity gains to be expected from orchard seedlots.