Seedspotting black and white spruce on three areas in northwestern New Brunswick

Abstract

large percentage of Fraser Companies Ltd. cutovers in both Rock and Edmundston Districts of New Brunswick are failing to regenerate to an adequate stocking of softwood species. This thesis reports on an experiment to test the feasibility of seedspotting black spruce (Picea marianna (Mill.) B.S.P.) and white spruce (Picea glauca (Moench) Voss.) as a possible method of reforestation on such areas. Ten different treatments were tested including seed pelleted by Celanese Research Company and Moran seeds, on three sites. The sites are a burn at Tom Pond Brook: a full-tree cutover at Square Lake and a full-tree cutover at Couturier Brook. In addition to the field tests, germination tests were carried out by Fraser Companies Ltd., Edmundston and Maritime Forest Research, Fredericton. Results of the field and germination trials are given and comparisons are made. It was found that there are no significant differences between treatments in black spruce. There are significant differences between percent stocking data for the white spruce treatments, between areas and between months for both black and white spruce. It is concluded that; nothing can be gained by the use of pelleted black spruce on full-tree cutovers and burns. Moran pelleted seed is comparable with untreated seed and should be suitable for direct seeding while white spruce Celanese I is not; a burned seedbed provides the best seedbed and white spruce is better adapted to this than black spruce; seedspotting does not appear to provide adequate stocking under these conditions.