Ecophysiology of Northern Spruce Species: The Performance of Planted Seedlings

Ecophysiology of Northern Spruce Species: The Performance of Planted Seedlings By Steven C. Grossnickle. 2000. Published by NRC Research Press, National Research Council of Canada, Building M-55, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada K1A 0R6. xii + 409 p., illus. $49.95. ISBN 0660-17959-8.

This book arises from the increasing need to improve forest productivity both economically and efficiently. Preserving more of the remaining old-growth forests and forests of an ecologically sensitive nature requires improved productivity on a smaller managed land base unless future demand for forest-based products radically decreases. At the moment, such a decrease is not in sight.

The author has estimated that throughout the Northern Hemisphere, over one billion spruce seedlings were planted annually during the 1990s. The book is intended to provide foresters and researchers with a synthesis of available information on the ecophysiological performance of spruce seedlings planted in forest plantations. A good understanding of how planted seedlings respond to applied silvicultural practices is necessary for developing high-yield plantations.

An introductory chapter presents briefly the distribution of the species of concern: black spruce (Picea mariana [Mill.] B.S.P.), Engelmann spruce (P. engelmannii Parry), Norway spruce (P. abies [L.]...