The relationship of seed production to varying stand volumes was also included in the, 

 observations at Bluesky. Half of the seed traps in Marshall and Buck Creek were in 

 uncut stands. 



f 



Results 



Yearly Variation (Periodicity) 



Good ponderosa pine cone crops were produced in 1948 and 1958 and a fair crop 

 developed in 1954 (table 5). Douglas-fir produced good crops in 1954 and 1958 and a 

 fair crop in 1949. Poor or near-failure crops characterized all intervening years. 

 Although good or fair crops were dispersed by both species in 1954 and 1958, ovulate 

 bud formation was not correlated between the two species because pine and fix" require 

 a 2- and 1-year development period before seedfall, respectively. 



The percent of filled pine and fir seeds increased with cone production (table 5) : 

 however, the pine maintained higher soundness than the fir. The good, fair, poor, 

 and near-failure pine crops averaged 75, 69, 53, and 14 percent soundness, respectively; 

 the fir averaged only 43, 25, 13, and 10 percent filled seeds. 



Seasonal Variation (Timing) 



Sound (filled) pine and fir seeds generally fell earlier than the hollow seeds. 

 Dispersal of sound pine seed was 90 percent complete about a month before the total 

 seedfall reached the same point. Squillace and Adams (1950) previously reported that 

 78 percent of the pine seed that fell in September 1948 was sound, but only 50 percent 

 was filled in later collections. Usually ponderosa pine and Douglas-fir seedfall be- 

 gan about the first of September and peaked in mid-September. Most of the seed was 

 shed by the end of October. However, some hollow seeds continued to fall throughout / 

 the winter. 



Table 5 . - -Average number and percent of sound ponderosa pine and Douglas-fir seeds 

 dispersed in five outover stands of western Montana from 1948 to 1958 



Y ear '■ Ponderosa pine : Douglas-fir 



: Number : Percent : Ranking : Number : Percent : Ranking 



Thousands/ Thousands/ 

 acre acre 



1948 



76 



73 



Good 



4 



11 



Poor 



1949 



8 



38 



Poor 



80 



25 



Fair 



1950 



8 



Poor 



4 



12 



Poor 



1951 



10 



63 



Poor 











Poor 



1952 





20 



Poor 



& 



29 



Poor 



1953 



7 



57 



Poor 



10 



15 



Poor 



1954 



42 



69 



Fair 



229 



41 



Good 



1955 











Poor 



1 



4 



Poor 



1956 











Poor 











Poor 



1957 











Poor 











Poor 



1958 



135 



76 



Good 



232 



46 



Good 



Less than 500 sound seeds per acre. 



8 







