Objectives:

• To determine operational problems and costs associated with fertilization at time of planting.
• To assess the effect of enhanced growth due to fertilization on plantation success and the cost per hectare of satisfactorily restocked land.
• To examine tree response to different levels of osmocote 18-6-12 fertilizer applications.

Experimental Design:

Treatments:

• Two levels of Osmocote are being tested in an operational trial. These are 0 and 30 g per tree.
• A supplementary trial is examining 0, 30, 60, and 120 g per tree.
• In both cases the test tree is 1+0 spruce grown as 313 plugs.

Layout:

• In the operational trial, there are four plots, each 50 m by 50 m. Each plot is divided into half, with a randomly selected half that was not fertilized. Within each subplot, 50 seedlings were selected for assessment.
• The supplementary trial consists of six sets of four lines of 25 trees. Each line received one randomly assigned fertilizer treatment.

History:

• 1985 Plantation, fertilization and first assessments
• 1986 - 1989 Annual assessments and reporting
• 1991 - 1994 Climate assessments

Status: Dormant

Reports and Publications:

Clarke, C. and R. Winter 1987. Fertilizing interior spruce at time of planting - Progress Report. Unpubl. Rep. B.C. Min. For., Victoria, B.C.

Comments:

This project was established by Chris Thompson. Since his retirement, it has been overseen by Deb Delong.