Four Provenance Seedlots
Proseed's Douglas-fir orchard comprises several subsets of parents selected from the 1959 series of New Zealand wide Provenance trials. The available seedlots consist of four groupings based on provenance. The table below provides some basis for comparison. It is based on data from the Douglas-fir Cooperative (now SWP - Specialty Wood Products), taken from a 1999 study of the parents.
That study assessed trees for form characteristics: branch size, whorl clusters and stem straightness. Each feature was scored out of 10 giving a potential total of 30 for a perfect tree. While Proseed does not have trial means for comparison and this is parental rather than progeny data, it is important to remember that the original criteria was to select large (fast growing), straight trees from a range of Californian, Oregon and Washington provenances. It is therefore reasonably expected that the progeny should be vigorous with very good form.
| Seedlot | No of Parents |
Mean DBH (cm) |
Mean OWD (Kg / m3) |
Branch Size |
Whorl Clusters |
Straight Stem |
Total Points |
% Perfect Tree |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ashley | 9 | 47 | 495 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 19 | 63% |
| Oregon | 32 | 59 | 410 | 7 | 6 | 8 | 21 | 70% |
| California | 24 | 51 | 424 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 21 | 69% |
| Washington | 20 | 54 | 424 | 7 | 8 | 7 | 22 | 74% |
(Source: Douglas Fir Cooperative Proceedings - February 1999)
| Seedlot | Source | Price/kg¹ |
| California Selections | Amberley | $1,000 |
| Oregon Selections | Amberley | $1,000 |
| Washington Selections | Waikuku | $1,000 |
| Ashley Selections | Waikuku | $600 |
¹Prices exclude NZ Goods & Services Tax (GST)