STUDIES ON CONIFEROUS TREE SEED AT THE UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA

There is a need for a reliable test for Douglas fir seed and seed of other important conifers. This paper describes a pretreatment and test for Douglas fir seed that provides reproducible results. Tests for seed of western hemlock, ponderosa pine, and the true firs are suggested that appear to have similar value. The pretreatment is a practical method that can also be applied in nursery practice; a preliminary test of this has been carried out by the B.C. Forest Service and a summary of the results is given. A saving of nearly 40 per cent of seed for a given nursery production appears to be possible using this pretreatment as compared with the use of untreated seed. Preliminary results from seed storage studies are given for several coniferous species.