Performance of Pinus radiata seedlings and cuttings to age 15 years

In a 2-faa block of alternate rows of seedlings and cuttings of Pinus radiata D. Don established on a cleared indigenous forest site, mortality during the first 6 years after planting was higher among cuttings from 7-year-old trees (37%) than among seedlings (22%). There were more deaths associated with Armillaria root rot among cuttings (23%) than seedlings (13.5%) over the same period. No significant difference in height growth was evident between the two types. Although cuttings were smaller in diameter at breast height (a difference of 1.8 cm at plantation age 6 years and 2.6 cm at 15 years), annual diameter increments during the period 12-15 years after planting were not significantly different. Cuttings had fewer culls as they had less malformation and a more uniform size. Although cuttings had fewer branches in the low pruning zone, seedlings had fewer branches in the high pruning zone, and the pruned butt log over-all (0-6 m) contained an equal number of branches and branch whorls for both seedlings and cuttings. Seedlings had a significantly larger mean branch basal area. Seedlings took longer to prune (10.2 min/tree) than cuttings (7.7 min/tree) and in all three pruning lifts had larger diameters over stubs (17, 21, and 24 cm) than cuttings (15, 18, and 21 cm) because of their larger diameters at breast height. Rooted cuttings appear to have some silvicultural advantages over seedlings, such as lower stockings required at planting because of less malformation, smaller branch size, shorter pruning times, and greater uniformity of size