Name des Wissenschaftlers

Volker Schneck 1; Dagmar Schneck2

1 Johann Heinrich von Thünen-Institut, Federal Research Institute for Rural Areas, Forestry and

Fisheries, Institute for Forest Genetics

2 State Forest Enterprise Brandenburg, Office for Forest Reproductive Material

Riga, 2013-04-03

Seed orchard management in Germany

Volker Schneck

Content

• Regulations

• Statistics

• Management recommendations

• Examples

• Tested seed orchards

2013-04-05Seite 2

Volker Schneck

German Act for Forest Reproductive Material

• in accordance with the EC Directive on the marketing of

forest reproductive material 1999/105

• 26 species and one genus

• seed orchards in categories “qualified” and “tested”

• minimum requirements are regulated

2013-04-05Seite 3

Volker Schneck

How to establish a seed orchard in Germany

A new seed orchard has to be authorised by

the responsible authority

� this authority checks:

• purpose (forestry, gene conservation …)

• genetic diversity (number of clones,

ramets per clone)

• isolation (more than 400 m to

populations of poor phenotype)

• design (similar number of ramets/clone,

good cross pollination, no selfing)

• location

2013-04-05Seite 4

Scots pine graft (Photo: D. Schneck)

Volker Schneck

Selection of plus trees for seed orchards

Requirements:

• age → 20 years (Poplar) to 70 years (fir, beech, oak)

• well adapted, good health status, resistance

• superior volume growth

• wood quality (e.g. no spiral growth)

• good stem form

• crown architecture (branching, no forks, branch angle)

wild cherry plus tree (Photo: D.Schneck)

2013-04-05Seite 5

Volker Schneck

Seed orchards in Germany - conifers

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

Abies a

lba

Abies g

randis

Larix

deci

duaLa

rix k

aem

pferi

Larix

x e

urole

pisPic

ea abie

sPic

ea si

tchen

sis

Pinus n

igra

Pinus s

ylvest

ris

Pseudots

uga m

enzi

esii

qualified tested

2013-04-05Seite 6

Volker Schneck

Seed orchards in Germany - broadleaves

0

5

10

15

20

25

Acer p

lata

noides

Acer p

seudopla

tanus

Alnus g

lutin

osaAln

us inca

na

Betula

pendula

Betula

pubesc

ens

Carpin

us bet

ulus

Fagu

s syl

vatic

a

Fraxi

nus exce

lsio

r

Populs tr

emula

Prunus

avium

Querc

us petr

aea

Querc

us robur

Robinia

pse

udoacac

iaTili

a cord

ata

Tilia

pla

typhyl

los

qualified tested

2013-04-05Seite 7

Volker Schneck

Area of seed orchards in Germany - conifers

0

50

100

150

200

250

Abies a

lba

Abies g

randis

Larix

deci

duaLa

rix k

aempfe

riLa

rix x

euro

lepis

Picea

abies

Picea

sitc

hensisPin

us nig

raPin

us syl

vest

ris

Pseudots

uga m

enziesi

i

tota

l a

rea

[h

a]

0

1

2

3

4

5

me

an

are

a [

ha

]

total area [ha] mean area [ha]

2013-04-05Seite 8

Volker Schneck

Area of seed orchards in Germany - broadleaves

05

10152025

303540

4550

Acer p

lata

noides

Acer p

seudopla

tanus

Alnus g

lutin

osa

Alnus i

ncana

Betula

pendula

Betula

pubesc

ens

Carpin

us betu

lus

Fagu

s syl

vatic

a

Fraxi

nus exce

lsio

r

Populs tr

emula

Prunus

avium

Querc

us petr

aea

Querc

us robur

Robinia

pse

udoacaci

a

Tilia c

ordata

Tilia p

laty

phyllo

s

tota

l a

rea

[h

a]

0

1

2

3

4

5

me

an

are

a [

ha

]

total area [ha] mean area [ha]

2013-04-05Seite 9

Volker Schneck

Percentage of different categories of FRM for seed yield

2003/04 to 2011/12 - conifers

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

Abies a

lba

Abies g

randis

Larix

deci

duaLa

rix k

aempfe

ri

Larix

x e

urole

pisPic

ea abie

sPic

ea sitc

hensisPin

us nig

raPin

us syl

vestris

Pseudots

uga m

enziesi

i

selected qualified tested SO tested stands

2013-04-05Seite 10

Volker Schneck

Percentage of different categories of FRM for seed yield

2003/04 to 2011/12 - broadleaves

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

Acer p

lata

noides

Acer p

seudopla

tanus

Alnus g

lutin

osa

Alnus i

ncana

Betula

pendula

Betula

pubesc

ens

Carpin

us betu

lus

Castanea sa

tiva

Fagu

s syl

vatic

a

Frax

inus e

xcels

ior

Populus s

pp

Prunus a

vium

Qerc

us rubra

Querc

us petr

ea

Querc

us robur

Robinia

pse

udoacaci

a

Tilia

cord

ata

Tilia

platy

phyllo

s

source identified selected qualified tested SO tested stands

2013-04-05Seite 11

Volker Schneck

Recommendations for management of seed orchards –

Example Brandenburg I

• spacing 5 x 5 m, 8 x 4 m

• fencing

• new established orchards – tillage and mowing within and

between the rows

• after 3 years mowing and cutting of naturally regenerated

plants if necessary

• top pruning starts if trees become taller than 2 m

• limitation of tree height (< 6 m), reduce longer branches

• no pruning for fir, Douglas fir and (spruce)

2013-04-05Seite 12

Volker Schneck

Recommendations for management of seed orchards –

Example Brandenburg I

• spacing 5 x 5 m, 8 x 4 m

• fencing

• new established orchards – tillage and mowing within and

between the rows

• after 3 years mowing and cutting of naturally regenerated

plants if necessary

• top pruning starts if trees become taller than 2 m

• limitation of tree height (< 6 m), reduce longer branches

• no pruning for fir, Douglas fir and (spruce)

2013-04-05Seite 13

Volker Schneck

Recommendations for management of seed orchards –

Example Brandenburg II

• combination of pruning and seed harvest

• fertilization only after foliar and/or soil analysis

• no treatments for flower stimulation

• documentation

2013-04-05Seite 14

Volker Schneck

Scots pine seed orchard – „Lug-Rostock“

2013-04-05Seite 15

• category “tested”

• established 1988

• 24 clones

• 7.8 ha

• seed yield 2009 and 2010 –

about 10 kg/ha

Volker Schneck

Seed orchard European larch - pruning

2013-04-05Seite 16

Volker Schneck

Douglas fir seed orchard „Kahlenberg – Humptulips“

• plus trees selected in an old

IUFRO-provenance trial

• 37 clones of provenance

„Humptulips“

• established 1990 under a shelter

of poplars (against frost)

• grafts and cuttings

• 2.3 ha

• first harvest 2004

• 2011 seed yield 14 kg /ha

• since 2011 planting of a new

orchard with the same material

2013-04-05Seite 17

Volker Schneck

Norway spruce – conservation seed orchard

• conservation of an autochthonous population of lowland spruce

from Lower Lusatia

• established 1995/96

• 60 clones

• seed production has started

2013-04-05Seite 18

Volker Schneck

Small-leaved lime

2013-04-05Seite 19

Volker Schneck

Black locust

• established 2005

• 25 clones

• special design and

management

• since 2010 seed

production

2013-04-05Seite 20

Volker Schneck

Tested seed orchards

two ways:

• comparative testing

• evaluation of components

Comparative testing:

• seed orchards have to flower and produce seeds 8 – 15 years

• seed harvest, plant production, trial establishment 3 – 7 years

• measurement and analysis 10 – 20 years

2013-04-05

Seite 21

Volker Schneck

Comparative Testing of offspring of Scots pine seed orchards

• orchards established between 1978 and 1985

• seed harvest 1995-1997 → 8 orchards, 2 stands

• plant production 1997-1998

• test plantaFons 1999 → 3 sites,

• measurement and analysis 2008/09

• approval of 7 orchards in the category tested 2010

2013-04-05Seite 22

Volker Schneck

Comparative Testing of offspring of Scots pine seed orchards

2013-04-05Seite 23

height growth after 10 years

050

100150200250300350400450

SO "

East E

urope"

SO "

Güstro

w

Stand W

aldsie

vers

dorfSO

"N

iesk

y"SO

"Taborz

"Contr

ol (st

and)SO

"Dobrit

z"SO

"Su

prasl"

SO "

Rychta

l h

eig

ht

[m]

110% 110% 113% 112% 108%100%

114%102% 107%

Volker Schneck

Discription:

• 1955/56 selection of plus trees of Larix decidua in natural stands in the Alps and in secondary stands

• establishing of a clonal archive with 435 different plus tree clones of Larix decidua

• 1965-1986 production of hybrid seeds without isolation of female flowers and artificial pollination

• 81 progenies (L. decidua x L. kaempferi), 8 mixed stands, 21 stands pure L. decidua or L. kaempferi

• 1972-1989 planting of 30 progeny tests

Hybrid larch – example I

2013-04-05Seite 24

Volker Schneck

clone A clone B

clone C

clone D clone B

European larchJapanese larch

2013-04-05Seite 25

Volker Schneck

Means of relative performance of selected progenies in

comparison to a control

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

140

160

180

200

HE53

HE11

HE18

HE58

HE41

HE34

HE69

HE37

HE56

HE70

HE43

HE54

HE4

HE30

HE55

HE65

HE72

HE71

HE50

HE33

HE27

HE66

HE28

HE46

HE64

HE67

HE32

HE12

HE52

HE44

HE61

HE38

HE51

HE15

HE35

HE73

HE96

HE1

increment of basal area height increment well-formed trees

% LOLA 1

2013-04-05Seite 26

Volker Schneck2013-04-05Seite 27

Volker Schneck

Hybrid larch – example I

Discription:

• 1950-1965 selection of plus trees and establishing of two clone archives with 970 different plus tree clones (780 L. decidua and 190 L. kaempferi)

• 1968-1989 three series of controlled crossings mostly between L. decidua and L. kaempferi (250 combinations – incomplete dialles)

• 1974 three trials with 81 progenies

• 1986 two trials with 49 progenies

• 1992 five trials with 42 progenies

Volker Schneck

0

50

100

150

200

250

M 1

00

1 x

Gr 3

0

M 1

00

1 x

M 3

10

M 1

00

1 x

Gr 2

7

Gr 2

7 x

M 1

00

3

B 1

18

x W

2

SA

61

0 x

R 7

SA

61

0 x

S 7

B 1

02

x D

5

SA

13

x R

6

CS

SR

65

6 x

W 2

SA

13

x H

4

SA

13

x N

3

B 1

18

x S

7

SA

61

0 x

G 2

D 4

x G

r 27

SA

22

x G

6

M 1

00

1 x

SA

61

0

M 6

x G

r 30

Gr 5

6 x

K 9

W 8

x G

r 90

M 1

60

8 x

G 6

M 1

10

1 x

D 5

W 8

x G

r 27

SA

29

x I 2

Gr 2

7 x

R 7

Gr 9

0 x

G 2

M 1

61

1 x

X 1

0

D 4

x G

r 90

M 1

61

1 x

G 2

Pfefferteich Luebz Floessberg

relative height [%]

Progeny test hybrid larch 1974 – height 2005