No. 115 

1961 

REPORT ON 1960 

FOREST TREE SEED CROP IN NEW ENGLAND 

The 1960 forest tree seed crop in New England was 

generally a medium one, according to reports received from 

observers in five of the six states.1 The crop was fairly 

uniform throughout the region; there were only few reports 

of marked differences between different sections. On the 

whole, the crop was somewhat better than that in 1959, and - 

very much better for some northern hardwood species. 

Species producing the best seed crops, region-wide, 

were red and sugar maples, white ash, beech, and elm; these 

crops generally were reported as heavy or medium to heavy. 

However, several observers noted that many of the sugar 

maple fruits were empty. Other hardwoods, except black 

cherry, bore medium crops in most sections; the black cherry 

crop was very light and spotty. 

Conifer species in general had poorer crops than the 

hardwoods. Reports for the conifers ranged mostly from light 

to medium. No heavy pine seed crops were reported this year 

from any locality, and there were some reports of failures 

(table 1). A potentially heavy crop of white pine seed in 

the Champlain Valley in Vzrmont was said to have been destroyed by cone insects. 

Seed crops of all species tended to be somewhat better in the northern parts of Maine, New Hampshire, and Ver- 

'~ased on 46 reports distributed as follows: Maine 12, New Hampshire 7, 

Vermont 20, Rhode Island 2, Connecticut 5. St ate Service Foresters, Industrial 

foresters, and U. S. Forest Service personnel cooperated in supplying this information. The project was conducted by the Committee on Silviculture, New 

England Sect ion, Society of American Foresters. 
mont than in other sedtions. Balsam fir, characterized by a 

light crop over most of New England, bore a heavy crop in 

the northern Green Mountains. Crops were comparatively poor 

in eastern Connecticut and Rhode Island. 

Table 1.--Forest tree seed crops in New England, 1960 

* 

Seed crops are classified as follows: 

Species 

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 (up to 75 percent). 

H = Heavy: some seeds on all trees, many on most trees (over 75 percent). 

White pine Very light, spotty Several reported failure 

Red pine Light, spotty Several reported failure 

White spruce Medium, spotty -- Red spruce Light, spotty Occasionally medium 

Balsam fir Light, general Heavy in northern Vermont 

Hemlock Medium, general Light in northern New Hampshire 

Tamarack Light, general -- Red cedar Light, general -- White cedar Medium, general Heavy in northern New England 

Red maple Heavy, general -- Sugar maple Heavy, general Several reported empty seed coats 

Black birch Medium, general - - Yellow birch Medium, general Better in northern New England 

White birch Medium, general - - 

Red oak Medium, general Poor in southern New England 

White oak Medium, general Poor in southern New England 

Basswood Medium, spotty Ranges from very light to medium 

Beech Medium, general Heavy in some areas 

White ash Heavy, general -- Black cherry Very light, spotty -- Butternut Medium, spotty Ranges from very light to medium 

Elm Heavy, general Medium in Connecticut 

Trembling aspen Medium, general - - Bigtooth aspen Medium, general -- 

Seed crop 

classification* 

and distribution 

Remarks 
Table 2.--Seed crops compared for two years 

(Selected species in Vermont) 

Seed crop classification 

Species 

Balsam fir 

White pine 

Red pine 

Hemlock 

Red maple 

Sugar maple 

Beech 

White ash 

*see table 1. 

To illustrate the region-wide trends in size of seed 

crop from 1959 to 1960, reports for the 2 years for selected 

species in Vermont were compared. These reports (table 2) 

are especially indicative because they were made both years 

by the same men. The general trends are: for conifers-- 

little change, mostly light crops both years; for hardwoods 

--markedly better crops in 1960. 

--THOMAS W. McCONKEX 

Research Forester 

Massabesic Experimental Forest 

Northeastern Forest Experiment Station 

Forest Service, U.S. Dept. Agriculture 

Alfred, Maine 

AGRICULTURE-FOREST SERVICE-UPPER DARBY