Table 1 — Comparison of several characteristics for sites where container stock and bareroot seedlings were tested 



Site 



Characteristic 



A 



D 



C 



D 



E 



Ranger District 



Cedar City 



Cedar City 



Powell 



Powell 



Cordial 1 Lc 



Locality 



Mammoth Creek 



Mammoth Cave 



Wilson Peak 



Dave's Hollow 



Allen's Canyon 





RnaH 

 nuau 









Parent material 



Limestone 



Basalt 



Limestone 



Limestone 



Limestone 



Soil texture 













0-10 inches 



Silt loam 



Silt loam 



Gravelly loam 



Gravelly loam 

 and clay loam 



Gravelly silt 

 loam 





^iltv cla\i Inam 

 ollly Clay ludin 



and silt loam 



dltw /Maw l/"\om 

 Ollly Clay ludlll 



to silty clay 



very gravelly 



Gravelly loam 



Gravelly silty 

 clay loam 



Percent moisture of 













soil at 5 bars tension 













4-6 inches 



14.06 



6.03 



19.22 



21.52 



18.35 



10-12 inches 



18.22 



8.37 



23.03 



19.99 



23.05 



Elevation (ft) 



8,450 



8,100 



7,680 



7,720 



8,260 



Slope (pet) 



5 



4 



4 



4 



10 



Aspect 



M 



IN 



M 

 IN 





h i r~" 



NE 



SE 



Habitat type 



Abies concolor/ 



Pin us ponderosa/ 



Pinus ponderosa/ 



Pinus ponderosa/ 



Abies concolor/ 



(Youngblood and 



Symphoricarpos 



Symphoricarpos 



Purshia tridentata 



Arctostaphylos 



Arctostaphylos 



Mauk 1985) 



oreophilus 



oreophilus 



and Artemisia nova 

 (transition) 



natula 



naff ila 



H.t. 50-year 













ponderosa pine site 













index classes (ft) 













(Youngblood and 







32 ± 3 and 







and Mauk 1985) 



30 ± 12 



45 ± 9 



33 ± 8 



32 ± 3 



34 ± 9 



STUDY AREA 



In order to ascertain the influence of site conditions on 

 seedling performance, five sites were chosen within the 

 Dixie National Forest, and the test was repeated on each. 

 The study sites were located in the southwestern part of 

 Garfield County, UT, and represent a range of sites on 

 which ponderosa pine is planted on the Dixie. 



The ponderosa pine planting season in the Dixie 

 National Forest normally stretches from late March to late 

 May. Soil moisture is usually adequate during that time. 

 Soon afterward, lack of precipitation limits survival and 

 growth. June is the driest month of the growing season, 

 and rainfall during July, August, and September is erratic. 

 Precipitation has averaged 15 inches (381 mm) per year 

 for the last 30 years at Bryce Canyon weather station, 

 elevation 7,911 ft (2,412 m). The average maximum daily 

 temperature peaks around 86° F (30° C) in June and July 

 (Y oungblood and Mauk 1985). 



Table 1 compares several characteristics for the five 

 study sites. Site B, near Mammoth Cave, is the only one 

 on a basaltic substrate. The other soils were derived from 

 a limestone parent material. Site A, near Mammoth Creek 

 Road, is located at the highest elevation but is only 770 ft 

 (235 m) above the lowest sites, C (Wilson Peak) and D 

 (Dave's Hollow). Site E, with its southeasterly aspect, 

 supports the only study plots which do not face north or 

 northeast. All five sites are different habitat types, but all 

 supported stands dominated by ponderosa pine before they 

 were cut. Although the site index of each habitat type 

 varies, measurements taken by Youngblood and Mauk 



(1985) indicate that the Pinus ponderosa! Symphoricarpos 

 oreophilus habitat type (site B, Mammoth Cave) is the 

 most productive of the five. 



METHODS 



The comparison test was established in late April of 

 1981. The same seed source of ponderosa pine was used 

 for both stock types and on all five sites. Container trees 

 were grown at Coeur d'Alene Nursery in Ray Leach 

 Super Cells. The bareroot stock was grown at Lucky Peak 

 Nursery. Container and bareroot seedling heights were 

 similar, but average stem caliper was 20 percent larger 

 for the bareroot trees than the container trees (table 2). 

 The container-grown trees had well-developed root 

 systems limited by the length of the container to 7.5 

 inches (19 cm). Bareroot trees had 10-inch (25-cm) root 



Table 2— Comparison of bareroot and containerized seedling 

 characteristics for ponderosa pine tested in the Dixie 

 National Forest, 1981 



Characteristic Container trees Bareroot trees 



Stock age 1-0 2-0 



Root length 19.0 cm 24.7 ± 4.4 cm 



Top length 15.0 ±3.3 cm 15.6 ± 2.8 cm 



Stem diameter 3.1 + 0.6 mm 3.7 ± 0.7 mm 

 Ovendry weight 



Tops 1.93 g 2.50 g 



Roots 0.83 g 0.88 g 



2 



