Introduction history of Douglas-fir to Germany

Douglas-fir breeding in Germany

Partner N° 6, 7 and 8

Staatsbetrieb Sachsenforst

Folie 1

Department: Forest Genetics and Tree Breeding


Author: Heino Wolf & Doris Krabel

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Introduction history of Douglas-fir to Germany

• 1831: Introduction to Germany by John R. Booth (owner of a tree nursery in Klein-Flottbeck near Hamburg)

• 1880 - 1985: First cultivation under forest conditions (supported a. o. by Bismarck)

• Failure and success

› Needle cast

› Frost

› Growth




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Establishment of provenance trials

• Testing original provenances

› 1910 Douglas provenance trial

› 1932/33 Douglas Fir provenance trial

› 1958 International Douglas Fir provenance trial

› 1970 International IUFRO-Douglas Fir provenance trial (I./II phase)

• Testing introduced material mainly of unknown origin

› 1984 East-German provenance trial

› 1988 Hesse provenance trial

› 2006 German provenance trial




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Distribution of Douglas-fir in Germany

• Species of „minor importance“ No distribution map available

• Total forest area of Germany: 11,075.799 ha = 31 % of land area (BWI² 2004)

• Douglas-fir area: 179.607 ha = 1,7 % of forest area (BWI²)

> Range from 46.271 ha in Rhineland-Palatinate (5,7 %) to 756 ha in Saxony (0,2 %)

> Main growing areas (> 2 %): Rhineland-Palatinate, Baden-Wuerttemberg, Hesse, Lower Saxony and Schleswig-Holstein

> Major reforestation areas: Rhineland-Palatinate, Baden-Wuerttemberg, Hesse




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Major use of Douglas-fir

• Volume production/year: 660,000 m³ (1987-2002)

• Major uses

› Veneer- and plywood industry

› Constructional wood suitable for medium up to heavy demand,

› Wall covering, parquet

› Shipbuilding

› Lumber for roof truss

› Wood pulp industry




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Procurement of Douglas-fir FRM

• Douglas fir under the „German Act of Forest Reproductive Material“ (FoVG from 22.05.2005)

Selected Qualified Tested

N° ha N° N°

Seed stands 2,293 3,000 --- 18

Seed orchards --- --- 9 1

Parent of families --- --- --- 3




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Procurement of Douglas-fir FRM

• Data on seed procurement presented by H.-M. Rau

• Quality control of FRM according to FoVG

› Weight, purity, moisture content, germination capacity and viability

› No genetic control of seeds

• Availability

› 2,300 seed stands (3000 ha = 1.7%): mean area of 1.3 ha

› Regional differences regarding number of stands and seed harvest

• In most cases, unknown origin of older stands




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In-situ conservation

Preservation measure until 2004 2005 -2007

In-situ-stands (N) 290 72

In-situ-stands (area in ha) 372,9 135,2

In-situ-single trees (N) 51 14

• Delineation not in every state• No coherent criteria




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Ex-situ conservation

• Activities not in every state• Especially in states with breeding institutions

Preservation measure until 2004 2005 -2007

Ex-situ-stands (N) 108 1

Ex-situ-stands (area in ha) 172.3 3.1

Seed orchards (N) 12 1

Seed orchards (area in ha) 34.2 3.1

Seed orchards fam./clone 613 70




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• Selection of provenances descending from seed sources originating from natural distribution area

• Selection of provenances descending from seed stands established in Germany

• Selection of intra-specific progenies descending from controlled crosses between and among the varieties

Current breeding programmes




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• Regions with comparable site conditions (geology, soil, climate, altitude) called “Provenance area”

• Recommendations related to the use of Douglas-fir forest reproductive material based on Provenance areas

Breeding zones defined for Douglas-fir




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• Around 2.300 stands in the category selected

• Regional distribution quite inhomogenous

• Stands mainly pure, homogenous and even-aged

• Hybrid-breeding populations

› About 850 clones of coastal and interior variety

› 104 full-sib-F1-families

› 3 full-sib-F2-families

Breeding populations




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Provenance which contribute the most to the Douglas-fir breeding population

• Coastal variety in regions with climate influenced by the Atlantic

• Interior variety in regions with climate influenced by the continent




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• Phenotypic selection of single trees/ populations: Establishment of seed orchards, basic material for crossings

• Genotypic selection of populations/ seed orchard progenies according to the results of field- and laboratory-experiments

Breeding methodology and strategy




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• Controlled crossing of single trees

• Genotypic selection of progenies according to the results of field- and laboratory-experiments

• Establishment of clone-lines by development of in-vitro-propagation techniques based on selected and approved reproductive material

Breeding methodology and strategy




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Establishment of clone-lines




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• At minimum 2 trial sites

• Number of plants: 16-49/plot and 3-4 replications per population/progeny

• Minimum period for evaluation: 15 years

• Assessment of survival, height, diameter, volume, damages (frost, drought), pest and diseases, stem form, branchiness in the field

• Frost resistance, drought tolerance in the lab

• Allozyme based inventory of seed stands

Evaluation strategy




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• Most investigated tree species in Germany

• For most states recommendations for the use Douglas-fir provenances do exist

• Limited number of seed stands, seed orchards, F1-progenies is already tested and some basic material is already approved for the procurement of FRM, category tested

• Still lack of knowledge regarding the origin of local artificial populations

Major results




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• Coastal variety: high yield, different quality traits, low resistance against frost and Phaeocryptopus needle cast, high resistance against Rhabdocline needle cast

• Interior variety: low yield, different quality traits, high resistance against frost and Phaaeocryptopus needle cast, low resistance against Rhabdocline needle cast

• Big variation at provenance level within the variety

• Hybrids: in several progenies – high yield and frost resistance could be combined together with average branchiness and needle cast resistance

Results on genetic variability studies




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Trial plot Kirchschneise: Height in the age 17 a

0,0

2,0

4,0

6,0

8,0

10,0

12,02014

2059

2060

2061

2067

2068

2015

2033

2057

2066

2011

2012

2013

2062

2065

2069

2077

58

2022

2025

2029

2035

2036

2037

2038

2040

2072

2030

2032

2039

2042

2043

2071

2000

2023

2028

2034

2041

2074

3105

3152

2003

2007

2055

2064

3093

3133

2001

2004

2080

2081

2091

1208

1209

1215

1255

c x c

c x g

c x v

g x c

g x g

g x vv x c

v x g

v x v

F2

Bestände

7,19

Height in m




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• Achieved or expected gains depending on reference

> Standard

> Average

> Worst case

• Achieved gain

> Height growth 130 % to 200 %

> Diameter 145 % to 250 %

> Volume 180 % to 300 % (120 m³/ha – 366 m³/ha)

Expected/achieved gains




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Significant failures

• Increase of needle cast infections also in selected material due to increasing infestation pressure

• Failure of plantation due to frost (early, winter)

• Unsufficient growth and quality of plantations




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Deployment strategy

• Recommendations for the use of Douglas-fir FRM based on scientific results by the states

• Recommendations obligatory for public owned forest administrations and companies

• Recommendations only obligatory for private owned forest companies and private forest owners if tax payers money is involved by subsidies




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Plans for the next years

• Assessment of genetic structures of Douglas-fir basic material to get information on

› Variety

› Composition of the mixture

› Approval of basic material

• Evaluation of approval and control system for FRM in the USA

• Evaluation of status and condition of IUFRO/EU-stands




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Introduction of FRM: Example Alder Lake (IUFRO-provenance 1081)




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Plans for the next years

• Establishment of new seed orchards

• Approval of populations in the category tested

• Development of clonal FRM based on in-vitro-propagation

• And the prospects???




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Norway spruce – Norway spruce – Change of vitalityChange of vitality

Anbaueignung Fichte 0 - 10%

10 - 20%

20 - 30%

30 - 40%

40 - 50%

50 - 60%

60 - 70%

70 - 80%

80 - 90%

90 - 100%

1971 - 2000

2091 - 2100




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• Climate change

• Role of Douglas-fir

• More applied research on provenance variation

• Taking regions of provenances into consideration which are not considered at present

Prospects




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Thank you very much

Introduction history of Douglas-fir to Germany

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