Survival and Growth of Bullet, Styroplug and Bareroot Seedlings on Mid-Elevation Sites in Coastal British Columbia

Abstract

A trial was established over 2 successive years at two mid-elevation locations on southern Vancouver Island to assess and compare the field performance of a) 1-0 seedlings grown in Walters' bullets, b) 1-0 plug seedlings grown in BC/CFS Styroblocks, and c) conventional 2-0 bareroot stock of Pseudotsuga menziesii and Tsuga heterophylla.Five years after planting, average survival rates for P. menziesii were a) 77, b) 84 and c) 81%, and for T. heterophylla, a) 69, b) 87 and c) 63%. Average fifth year height on these mid-elevation sites was a) 51, b) 62 and c) 72 cm for P. menziesii, and a) 63, b) 67 and c) 57 cm for T. heterophylla. The results indicate that significantly better field performance can be obtained using 1-0 styroplug seedlings for T. heterophylla rather than conventional 2-0 bareroot stock. Such statistically significant differences were not evident for P. menziesii.