First Measurements of 2005 GGTIV* Installations Eric C. Turnblom, SMC Keith Jayawickrama, NWTIC SMC Spring Policy Meeting, 25 – 26 Apr 2007 Vancouver, WA * Genetic Gain (NWTIC) / (SMC) Type IV joint trials

First Measurements of 2005 GGTIV Installations Background: Objectives / Design Data & Methods PRELIMINARY Results: Survival, Height, basal diameter, crown width Summary

Background: Objectives / Design Objectives: Provide information to guide managers currently applying combinations of genetics, spacing and vegetation control Provide linkages with other studies (such as Genetic Gain Trials, intensive ‘veg’ mgt. trials, spacing trials (like SMC Type III), that will assist modeling Compare realized gains (per unit area basis) with predicted gains (individual tree basis) Compare estimates of growth and yield parameters for populations with different expected growth potentials

Background: Objectives / Design Three Treatment Factors: 1)Genetic Gain levels (G1) Unimproved (G2) Intermediate gain Type IV Trial portion does NOT use this level (G3) Elite gain

Background: Objectives / Design Three Treatment Factors: 2)Spacing levels (S1) 15 x 15’, nominally 200 SPA (S2) 10 x 10’, nominally 440 SPA Genetic Gain Trial uses ONLY this density (S3) 7 x 7’, nominally 900 SPA

Background: Objectives / Design Three Treatment Factors: 3)Vegetation Control levels (V1) Current Practice Defined as single site prep; used ONLY in Type IV (V2) Complete Defined as 80% or greater bare ground until crown closure; standard on all GGT plots and on Type IV

GGTIV General Site Layout G2 G1 (S2 V2) G1 G2 G3G1 G3 (S2 V2) G2 G1 G3 G2 G1G3 G3 S1 V1 G3 S3 V2 G1 S2 V1 G1 S3 V2 G3 S3 V1 G1 S1 V2 G3 S1 V2 G1 S2 V1

First Measurements of 2005 GGTIV Installations Background: Objectives / Design Data & Methods Analysis Results: Survival, Height, basal diameter, crown width Summary

GGTIV Installation Locations (apprx.)

601 – Donkey Creek 2

602 – Donaldson Creek

603 – Crane Creek 2

Data & Methods Measurements –Basal diameter at 6 in. on 100% sample –Diameter Breast Height on 100% of trees that have it –Total height on 100% sample –Crown Width, two perpendicular directions on 42 tree sample –Height to Live Crown on 42 tree sample –Comments where warranted (Ex. BR, browsed; DE, dead; etc. –Record genetic family tab number on elite and moderate gain stock

Data & Methods Model(s) I denotes installation, B denotes block G denotes gain: low, mod, high (-1,0,1) S denotes spacing: sparse, mod, dense (-1, 0, 1) V denotes veg. control: standard, complete (0,1)

First Measurements of 2005 GGTIV Installations Background: Objectives & Design Data & Methods PRELIMINARY Results: Survival, Height, basal diameter, crown width Summary

2 Growing Season Results: Survival

2 Growing Season Results: Height

2 Growing Season Results: Diameter

2 Growing Season Results: CW

First Measurements of 2005 GGTIV Installations Background: Objectives & Design Data & Methods PRELIMINARY Results: Survival, Height, basal diameter, crown width Summary

These results are PRELIMINARY –Based on exactly HALF the number of observations we’ll eventually have There is strong evidence for installation level effects on all response variables (p< ) –Growing season length? –Animal / critter damage? –Other local effects …

Summary These results are PRELIMINARY –Based on exactly HALF the number of observations we’ll eventually have Survival was marginally better at narrowest spacing after two years (p=0.0464) –Potential interaction between gain level and spacing – high gain survived better at widest spacing, woods run at narrowest Height was seemingly affected by spacing (p=0.0294) after two years –Effect appears to be small at this stage

Summary These results are PRELIMINARY –Based on exactly HALF the number of observations we’ll eventually have Basal diameter affected marginally by gain level (p=0.0574) stronger evidence for spacing effect was observed (p=0.0323), though small in magnitude –Very slight evidence of optimum at middle density Crown width seemed strongly affected by gain level (p=0.0077), slightly by spacing (p=0.0505) –Narrower crowns in high gain level

Questions / Comments? First Measurements of 2005 GGTIV Installations