2002 Short Course dates coming. This two-day program begins with a production management day that will provide useful information about seedling quality and establishing a new planting. The second day will focus on marketing and business management and also includes an afternoon devoted to pest management. Henry Gerhold Christmas tree growers can exploit genetic variation to improve quality and profitability.
Genetic methods complement cultural methods, and both are influenced by environmental effects.
Examples of genetic variation in Scotch pine and Douglas-fir illustrate how nurserymen and growers can employ research results in their practices. The importance of growing plants with good genetics, and the concept of provenance, will be explained. The sources of good genetics for Christmas trees will be discussed, including the potential loss of access to some of the more desirable areas that are currently recommended seed sources. The establishment of seed orchards will be covered, including the potential problems associated with some. An update on developments in the asexual propagation of trees with superior characteristics will be presented.