Table 4 . - -Average oone production by age class on released and check trees 



before and after treatment 



: 50-year age class : 140- and 220-year age classes combined 



; Release : Check : Release ; Check 



------------ Cones per tree ------------ 



1954 13 7 13 



1956 i/l ^1 30 20 



1957 1 1 !/ 2 lis 



1958 10 3 62 106 



1959 1111 



First possible cone crop that could have been affected by the release treatment. 



Re/ease 



Release from nearby competing trees did not increase cone production significantly 

 during the two or three cone crops following treatment (table 4) . Large between-tree- 

 variation prevented any meaningful results. 



Tree Age 



The 140- to 220-year old trees produced about eight times more cones than the 50- 

 year-old trees. The 5 years of record showed that the older trees yielded an average 

 of 60 cones per tree, while the younger trees averaged only seven cones per tree. One 

 mature tree produced 342 cones in 1958, a good seed year. Complete cone production 

 failures were rare on the individual trees of the two older age classes. About three- 

 fourths of these trees produced at least a few cones every year. Failures were much 

 more common, occurring over 50 percent of the time, in the younger individuals. 



SEED DISSEMINATION 



Of 22 reported ponderosa pine cone crops in western Montana from 1908 to 1953, 

 only one was rated good, but five others were rated fair (Boe 1954). During these 

 same years, three Douglas-fir cone crops were rated good and nine were rated fair (Boe 

 1954) . Boe (1954) concluded that pine was a poor seeder and Douglas-fir a prolific 

 seeder in western Montana. This study provided additional data for evaluation of seed 

 crops . 



Methods 



Seed crop variability and time of seedfall in partially-cut ponderosa pine and 

 Douglas-fir stands were studied at five locations from seed trap collections made two 

 to six times annually. These were sampled as follows: 



Years of Size of No. of 



Areas collection seed trap seed traps 



Bluesky 1948-1955 1/4 milacre 20 



Dunn % Butler 1952-1955 1/4 milacre 20 



Marshall $ Buck 1954-1958 1 sq. ft. 30 



