Douglas-fir planted forests

Abstract

A combination of superior wood quality and high productivity has made Douglas-fir ( Pseudotsuga menziesii [Mirb.] Franco) one of the premier timber trees in the world. As such, it is grown as a plantation species in several countries in Europe, South America, New Zealand, and Australia, as well as throughout its extensive natural range in western North America. Decades of experience with the silviculture of young stands have demonstrated that practices such as planting, the use of genetically improved seedlings, precommercial and commercial thinning, and fertilization may dramatically increase the yield of industrial products over that of natural forests. Further, such silviculture is compatible with the production of desired amenities. Vigorous implementation of such practices wherever Douglas-fir is cultivated will increase the world’s timber resources, and be an effective strategy for reducing the pressure, occasioned by the world’s rapidly increasing population, to harvest the fragile tropical and boreal forests