No. 96 

1960 

REPORT,ON 1959 FOREST TREE SEED CROP 

IN NEW ENGLAND 

The 1959 forest tree seed crop is generally light, 

according to observers. l It is better than the 1957 crop, 

but only in few places is it comparable with last year's 

production. The better crops were reported in the northwestern Massachusetts-southwestern Vermont area and in the 

eastern Maine area. 

Severe winter weather and summer drought conditions 

are given as causes for reduced crops in central and northern Vermont. Frost and late snow damage is reported in 

Grafton County, New Hampshire. Elsewhere, insect damage and 

hungry squirrels reduced the crop. 

In general, most species produced a light seed crop, 

with medium or better crops in some localities (table 1). 

The white pine seed crop was reported heavy in the Massachusetts-Vermont area and in eastern Maine. A good crop was 

reported for both 1958 and 1959 for parts of the coastal 

region in Maine. There were isolated reports of medium seed 

crops for other conifers--particularly white spruce in eastern Maine, hemlock in central Vermont, and tamarack and 

cedar in eastern Maine and western Vermont. 

'Based on 42 reports distributed as follows: Maine 14, New Hampshire 6, Vermont 15, &ssachusetts 4, Rhode Island 1, Connecticut 2. State Service Foresters, forestry school faculty members, industrial foresters, and U. S. Forest Service personnel cooperated in supplying this information. The project 

was conducted by the Committee on Silviculture, New England Section, Society of 

American Foresters. 
Table 1.--Forest tree seed 

Species 

New 

Hampshire 

White pine 

Red pine 

White spruce 

Red spruce 

Balsam fir 

Hemlock 

Tamarack 

Northern whi te-cedar 

Red maple 

Sugar maple 

Black birch 

Yellow birch 

White birch 

Red oak 

White oak 

Basswood 

Beech 

White ash 

Black cherry 

Trembling aspen 

Bigtooth aspen 

* 

Seed crops are classified as follows: 

F = Failure: none, or few seeds on occasional trees. 

VL = Very Light: few seeds on 25 percent of the trees. 

L = Light: few seeds on 75 percent of the trees. 

M = Medium: some seeds on all trees, many on some trees 

H = Heavy: some seeds on all trees, many on most trees ( 

Hardwood seed crops--particularly in the beech, 

birch, maple association--were very light. The white oak 

acorn crop was reported heavy in eastern Massachusetts. 

There were several reports of mediwn or heavy crops of red 

oak acorns within the species range. There was a good crop 

of red maple seed in southwestern Maine and eastern Massachusetts. The boxelder seed crop was reported heavy in 
I 

1 

in New England, 1959 

* 

crop classification 

rmon t 

0 t her 

L H F M VL VL 

VL M L L L VL 

F L F F VL F 

F F VL - - - - 

F F F - - - - 4 VL VL F F VL 

-- -- - - VL -- - - 

M -- - - F - - - - 

VL L M VL VL - - VL VL F F VL -- VL M M M - - - - 

VL L -- M F - - VL L - - M F - - 

M L L L VL - - -- L H VL VL M 

- - - - -- L - - - - VL F F VL - - - - M L M F L L 

M - - - - VL - - - - 

L VL L - - -- 0 -- VL L - - - - 

1 

I 75 percent). 

'5 percent). 

Penobscot County, Maine, and medium in Caledonia County, 

Vermont. There was a heavy crop of mountain maple seed in 

Aroostook County, Maine. 

--THOMAS W. RlcCONKEY I Research Forester, Massabesic Experimental Forest 

Northeastern Forest Experiment Station 

Alfred, Maine 

3 

Massachusetts 

NW Other 

Connecticut 

NW Other 

Rhode 

Island 

I