Tree Improvement Program Project Report 2006 / 2007

T R E E I M P R O V E M E N T P R O G R A M
in the TW Mount Newton orchard site 140.
20
15
10
5
0
Mount Newton
Mar-04
Mar-01
Feb-26
Feb-23
Feb-20
Feb-17
Feb-14
Feb-11
Feb-08
Mar-19
Mar-16
Mar-13
Mar-10
Mar-07
Pollen Grains per mm 2 Figure 4: Mean daily western red cedar pollen catch (pollen grains/mm2)
F gure 32. Mean da ly western red cedar pollen catch (pollen gra ns/
mm 2 ) n the TW Mount Newton orchard s te 1 0.
.2.3 Development of Pollen
Management Gu del nes for
Yellow-cedar.
Oldr ch Hak
SPU 1106
Poor pollen quality at pollination time may be one of the
principal factors responsible for the failure of low-elevation
orchards to produce sufficient quantities of viable seed. To
date, all assessments of pollen quality were based entirely on
vitro testing using pollen germination. These assessments
should be interpreted as only an indication of pollen
fertility. In this project, the actual fertility of low-elevation
males is being confirmed through control pollinations of
females in natural stands. Similarly, the level of fertility of
low-elevation females is not known and is being examined
through control pollinations using high-quality pollen
collected from natural stands.
Trials at a low-elevation seed orchard (Mount Newton)
and in natural stands at high elevation (Mount Washington
and Jordan River high elevation) have been completed and
the results published in the 2004/2005 Project Report.
The results indicate that low-elevation yellow-cedar seed
orchards are capable of producing viable seed. This is
contrary to earlier reports that low-elevation seed orchards
established on Vancouver Island are not capable of doing so.
Given the importance of the location and management of
yellow-cedar breeding and seed orchards, recommendations
for their establishment should be based on more than oneyear
data. Furthermore, difficulties encountered during
the first project with environmental conditions and bears
P R O J E C T R E P O R T 2 0 0 6 / 2 0 0 7
introduced several factors that may influence the results of
the trial to a certain degree.
A follow-up project at Mt. Newton seed orchard
(low elevation) and Mt. Washington (high elevation)
was therefore established in 2004 to deal with the above
problems and to confirm the results of the first project
through re-testing. An additional site at Jordan River low
elevation was included in the new project because it has
produced good quality pollen in past trials and has a good
potential to produce viable seed. Control pollinations at all
the above sites were completed in spring 2005. Cones were
collected and seed was extracted in fall 2006. Data will be
analyzed, and the final results will be reported in spring
2007.
.2. Operat onal Crown
Management Tr als n Var ous
Orchards: Inter or Spruce H ghdens
ty Seed Orchard 620 and
Inter or Douglas-fir Orchard 32
(SPU 2202)
Gary G ampa
Object ves
One objective of this project is to determine which crown
management techniques are most effective in controlling
vegetative growth to allow for safe crop collection and
efficient orchard management. In addition, we are trying
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