Planting Can Be Better Than Direct Seeding of Douglas-Fir

Total height and height growth of 10-year-old Douglas-fir seedlings in 1965 have increased directly with the number of years in the nursery, although the relationship is highly variable. Planted seedlings which at age three were 0.29 to 0.48 feet taller than seeded trees, grown from the same seed lot, have become from 2.00 to 4.06 feet taller on the average by age 10. Survival of planted seedlings, which at age 10 averaged 75 percent, was much better than that resulting from sowing of six seeds per spot.