SEED COLLECTING IN LODGEPOLE PINE. 

 By R. A. Phillips. 



The collecting of tree seeds is an important operation in the 

 practice of forestry. There is considerable planting done each 

 year by the Forest Service to restock the numerous areas denuded 

 by fire and lumbering, as well as to extend the range of some 

 species. In many cases seed collecting is a very costly and difficult 

 operation and can be performed only by experienced men, if the 

 cost is to be kept within reasonable limits. Nearly every year 

 large quantities of seed are collected on the various National For- 

 ests, the cost and methods of which vary widely. Many factors 

 such as abundance of seed, cost of labor, equipment and accessi- 

 bility of locality, cause this variation but the most important 

 factor is the experience and judgment of the collector. 



Lodgepole Pine (Pinus contorta Loud.) occurs in exten- 

 sive, gregarious stands throughout many portions of the 

 Rocky Mountains from southern Canada to New Mexico and 

 Arizona. It also occurs to a limited extent in Washington, Ore- 

 gon and California. In the northern part of its range it occurs 

 as low as 3,000 feet while in southern Colorado it may occur as 

 high as 10,000 feet. It is only a moderately rapid grower and 

 possesses a wood which is chiefly valued for railroad ties. Much 

 of the silvicultural value of the tree is due tcrits remarkable 

 ability to grow in dense stands over very poor mineral soils. 

 The cones have a tendency to persist on the trees for many years 

 and open usually only under the most favorable conditions. 

 A peculiarity of this species, not yet accounted for, is the opening 

 of cones on some trees while those on trees near by where site 

 conditions appear identical will remain closed for years. Un- 

 opened cones have been found imbedded in the wood of thirty 

 years' growth, the seeds of which still retained a fair per cent of 

 germination. 



The time for collecting Lodgepole Pine cones varies with 

 the season and the region. As a rule, cones are matured by the 

 first of September or shortly after. Collecting should start im- 

 mediately after the seed has matured because bad weather and 

 snow may be expected any time after the middle of October. 

 This may interfere seriously with or even prevent further opera- 

 tions. Since Lodgepole Pine cones require two years to mature, 

 the size of the crop may be estimated the year before it ripens. 



The cheapest, easiest and most satisfactory method of col- 

 lecting these cones is to rob squirrel hoards. The squirrels 



