2008 Interim Guidelines for Growing Longleaf Pine Seedlings in Container Nurseries

Production of container longleaf pine (Pinus palustris Mill.) seedlings for reforestation and restoration exceeds that of bare-root production, but information on container production techniques has been slow to develop. Because outplanting success requires quality seedlings, interim guidelines were proposed in 2002 to assist nursery managers and tree planters in developing and using the best stock possible. The guidelines were intended to be updated as new information was generated. During the past 6 years, additional studies have confirmed most provisions of the interim guidelines, except that presence of buds (number and color) as originally described in the guidelines does not appear to be a useful metric. In addition, some new attributes have been added. This report synthesizes that new information and presents revised guidelines.