A red pine provenance test in northwestern Ontario: 48-year results

Abstract

a limited seed supply, sensitivity to hard water and excessively large branches (especially at wider spacing) are drawbacks.Despite growing on a wide range of sites, red pine is remarkably uniform in taxonomic and morphological characteristics, a rare feature amongst pines (Holst 1975, Boys et al. 2005. Studies on red pine populations from Quebec (Simon et al. 1986), Ontario, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia (Fowler and Morris 1977), and isolated populations in Newfoundland (Mosseler et al. 1991(Mosseler et al. , 1992 ABSTRACTSurvival, total height and diameter at breast height (DBH) were measured in the fall of 2005 in a 48-year-old red pine (Pinus resinosa Ait.) provenance trial growing in northwestern Ontario. There was significant variation in both height and diameter among the 23 provenances. Generally, westerly provenances performed well while those from the Maritime Provinces exhibited relatively poor growth. Considering that the plantation is at the northern biological range of red pine, survival was high, averaging 96% after 48 years. Provenances with the best growth rates exceeded a volume of 420 m 3 ha -1 . Some provenances from Minnesota and Wisconsin as well as Fort Frances, Ontario exhibited superior growth and should be considered as seed sources for future planting programs in northwestern Ontario.Key words: red pine, provenance test, survival, diameter, height, volume, Northwestern Ontario RÉSUMÉ Le taux de survie, la hauteur totale et le diamètre à hauteur de poitrine (dhp) ont été mesurées à l'automne 2005 dans une plantation de pin rouge (Pinus resinosa Ait.) âgée de 48 ans destinée à faire l' essai de différentes provenances de semis et située dans le nord-ouest de l'Ontario. On a relevé une variation significative tant au niveau de la hauteur que du diamètre parmi les 23 provenances. De façon générale, les provenances occidentales ont bien performé tandis que celles issues des provinces de l' Atlantique ont démontré une croissance relativement décevante. En prenant en considération que la plantation est située à la limite nordique de l'aire de distribution biologique du pin rouge, le taux de survie s' est révélé être élevé, atteignant une moyenne de 96 % après 48 ans. Les provenances ayant les meilleurs taux de croissance ont atteint un volume supérieur à 420 m 3 ha -1 . Certaines provenances du Minnesota et du Wisconsin ainsi que de la région de Fort Frances en Ontario ont démontré une croissance plus importante et devraient être retenues comme sources de semences pour les prochains programmes de plantation à être réalisés dans le nord-ouest de l'Ontario.

Effect of climatic conditions on height growth of red pine: Results of a provenance test in northwestern Ontario

“…Our analysis confirmed the results reported by Rahi et al (2010) who found statistically significant differences in mean height attained by age 48 among seed sources. These results contrast with the historically accepted notion of uniformity of red pine (e.g., Fowler and Morris 1977) but concur with results of more recent studies that indicated genetic variation among individuals and populations of red pine (Mosseler et al 1992, DeVerno and Mosseler 1997, Echt et al 1998, Boys et al 2005; for a review of studies on height variation among red pine seed sources the reader is referred to Rahi et al (2010).…”

“…These results contrast with the historically accepted notion of uniformity of red pine (e.g., Fowler and Morris 1977) but concur with results of more recent studies that indicated genetic variation among individuals and populations of red pine (Mosseler et al 1992, DeVerno and Mosseler 1997, Echt et al 1998, Boys et al 2005; for a review of studies on height variation among red pine seed sources the reader is referred to Rahi et al (2010). Since height variation observed in a given study has been suggested to result from microsite variation among plots with different provenances (e.g., OMNR 1998), we tested seed sources for similarity of height rankings among the three blocks in this study.…”

“…The effect of narrow spacings on mean height has also been reported for other trees species (e.g., Lanner 1985, Peracca andO'Hara 2008). The original planting spacing in this study (at 1.8 m) resulted in a very dense stand, especially since the survival rate was very high (≥96%) in all plots (Rahi et al 2010). This may have affected the reliability of the transfer function based on mean height.…”

“…Single and double buffer rows of red pine surrounded each individual plot and each block, respectively. For more detail on the study design, the reader is referred to Rahi et al (2010).…”

“…Studies based on provenance trials also showed differences in survival rates, phenological traits, growth rates, photoperiodic response, and wood quality among trees grown from different seed sources (OMNR 1998). In their analysis of provenance trial data in northwestern Ontario, Rahi et al (2010) reported statistically significant differences in height and diameter of 48-year-old pine trees. We further analyzed the data from this study, with the specific objective of developing transfer functions for average height at base age 48 and top height at base age 50.…”