Objectives:

The project was established in the fall of 1962 and the spring of 1963, to determine how initial plantation density affects subsequent individual tree and stand growth.

Experimental Design:

Treatments

• Five densities were tested.
• Intertree distances of 4, 8, 12, 16 and 20' were used. These distances correspond to 6727, 1682, 747, 420 and 269 stems/ha.
• Planting stock was 2+0 bareroot.

Layout:

• Only one replication per site was established.
• Three sites were planted at Rock Creek, Cherry Creek, and Falkland (in the Kamloops Forest Region).
• Plots are square. All plots are 0.04 ha. except for the 269 stems/ha. plots, which are 0.16 ha in area.
• All trees in each plot are permanently tagged.

History:

• Fall 1962 - Rock Creek planted.
• Spring 1963 - Falkland and Cherry Creek planted.
• Spring 1963 - 1969 - Rodent and drought mortality replanted using spare stock of the same age. This extra stock was held in transplant beds at each site. Mortality was so great that the 6727 sph treatment at Cherry Creek, was used as transplant stock
• 5, 10, 15, 20, 25 and 30 year measurements have been collected, with the 30-year assessment occurring in the fall of 1992.
• Fall 1997 - 35-year remeasurement
• 1999 classified biogeoclimatically.

Status: Active

Reports and Publications:

• Progress reports are associated with each assessment date.
• No formal report of this study has been published.

Comments:

In the late 1950's and early 1960's a small number of plantation density (or espacement) studies were established by the Min. For.. EP 607 is the only Ponderosa pine study of its type in western Canada. It suffers from the design problems typical of these early growth and yield research installations, i.e. there are no treatments between 1700 and 6600 sph, and the plots for the low density treatments are too small. However, EP 607 is still valuable as both a demonstration area, and as a source of calibration data for various yield models.