Survival and Growth of Selected White Spruce Container Stock Types in Interior Alaska

Survival and growth of white spruce (Picea glauca (Moench) Voss) seedlings raised as 4 different-sized container stock types were followed on 5 harvested sites in the Cache Creek drainage of interior Alaska. Stock types evaluated were 1-0 Ray Leach Pine Cells® (65 cm3, 4 in3) and 1-0 Styroblock® sizes 313B (65 cm3, 4 in3), 415B (98 cm3, 6 in3), and 415D (164 cm3, 10 in3). After 5 y, survival and height growth were mixed. Ray Leach Pine Cells had a significantly higher rate of survival than seedlings grown in Styroblock 313B containers, but there were no differences among the survival of Ray Leach and the other 2 Styroblock sizes, nor among the Styroblock sizes themselves. Survival of all 4 stock types varied dramatically among sites. Although this experiment was not designed to evaluate site factors, lowest survival rates (25% to 40%) may have been related to the bluejoint grass (Calamagrostis canadensis (Michx.) Beauv.) and fireweed (Epilobium angustifolium L.) cover found in 2 of the sites, and highest survival (90%) may have been related to the slight topographic elevation of 1 site. Seedlings grown in Styroblock containers were substantially taller at planting than those grown in Ray Leach containers; this difference was maintained after 5 y. Stem diameter did not differ significantly among stock types, either at planting or after 5 y. Our results reiterate that seedling out planting performance is a complex f unction of many factors, including stock type, competing vegetation, and microsite, and suggest that more research on the performance of different stock types in Alaska is needed before standard stock types can be identified for various site conditions. Tree Planters' Notes 50(1): 44-49; 2003.