Container configuration influences western larch and big sagebrush seedling development

Abstract

Big sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata Nutt.), a woody shrub, and western larch (Larix occidentalis Nutt.), a deciduous conifer, are among many western North American species that have suffered a decline in presence and natural regeneration across their native ranges. These species are economically, ecologically, and intrinsically valuable, therefore many current restoration and management efforts are working to mitigate their decline. Outplanting container-grown seedlings can expedite the regeneration process and create future propagule sources on sites where other regeneration strategies may be more difficult. Research was conducted with the intention of improving survival and growth of both big sagebrush and western larch seedlings through optimizing container nursery culture. Two general objectives were to 1) evaluate the influence of container volume and growing density on seedlings grown at the nursery, and 2) examine the post-transplant effect of stocktype on seedling growth through simulations of optimal and suboptimal field conditions. Results indicate that big sagebrush grown in a high-density arrangement was beneficial to shoot growth at the nursery and following transplant. Also, container volume did not contribute to differences in sagebrush growth during simulated field conditions.

Citation

Aghai, Matthew Mehdi. 2012. Container configuration influences western larch and big sagebrush seedling development. Moscow, ID: University of Idaho. Thesis. 57 p.