Douglas fir provenance trials with I.U.F.R.O. seed-lots.  L.A. Pederick.  February 1974.  15 pp. (unpubl.)

SUMMARY

1. This report contains an account of the establishment of provenance trials of douglas-fir, in order to determine the seed sources best suited for use in Victoria, and also to provide some capacity for future seed production from the best provenances.

2. 37 I.U.F.R.O. seedlots and 15 other seedlots were obtained as a sample of the natural distribution of Pseudotsuga menziesii var. menziesii, with emphasis on provenances from lower altitudes and the southern portion of the species range. Two seedlots were collected from Victorian stands.

3. Seedlings were raised and grown for 3 years at Narbethong nursery. Provenance trials were planted at Narbethong, and at Toombullup near Mansfield, during winter 1973. At Narbethong, all remaining plants of the 10 best provenances (selected by growth at 3 years) were planted in blocks. These will be treated in the future as a seed stand.

4. There was a strong correlation between seedling height at three years and:-

1. latitude of seed sauce,
2. altitude of seed source.

This confirmed the results of earlier work in New Zealand.

5. For planting in Victoria, it seems that seed should come from low altitudes, i.e. below 1000 feet, from the coastal area of California and southernmost Oregon. Swanton, South of San Francisco, appears to be a particularly important provenance.