Pacific Northwest Research Station

Title: Dispersal of white spruce seed on Willow Island in interior Alaska.

Author: Youngblood, Andrew; Max, Timothy A.

Date: 1992

Source: Res. Pap. PNW-RP-443. Portland, OR: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Research Station. 17 p

Station ID: RP-PNW-443

Description: The seasonal and spatial patterns of dispersal of white spruce (Picea glauca (Moench) Voss) seed were studied from 1986 to 1989 in floodplain stands along the Tanana River near Fairbanks, Alaska. Analysis of the 1987 crop showed that production of filled seed was strongly related to estimated production of total seed and unrelated to selected stand structural characteristics. A mathematical expression, developed to estimate dispersal of filled seed into clearcut openings, predicted dispersal between 10 and 120 meters from the edge of an opening. The pattern of wind during the seed-dispersal season was predictable and consistent with winds measured at the Fairbanks International Airport. The results give forest managers ways to increase natural regeneration of white spruce in interior Alaska.

Keywords: White spruce, Picea glauca, dispersal of seed, Alaska (interior), production of seed, wind pattern

View and Print this Publication (854 KB)

Publication Notes: 

• We recommend that you also print this page and attach it to the printout of the article, to retain the full citation information.
• This article was written and prepared by U.S. Government employees on official time, and is therefore in the public domain.
• You may send email to pubrequest@fs.f ed.us to request a hard copy of this publication. (Please specify exactly which publication you are requesting and your mailing address.)

 Get the latest version of the Adobe Acrobat reader or Acrobat Reader for Windows with Search and Accessibility

Citation

Youngblood, Andrew; Max, Timothy A.  1992.  Dispersal of white spruce seed on Willow Island in interior Alaska..   Res. Pap. PNW-RP-443. Portland, OR: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Research Station. 17 p