In this study, pollen contamination (measured by the number of seeds pollinated by pollen not belonging to any of the clones on the seed orchard) is compared between open pollination and isolated pollination environments in a Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris) seed orchard called Västerhus, located outside Önsköldsvik. In this seed orchard a tent experiment is taking place. Skogforsk has built six large tents covering 12-14 trees with each tent. Fertilization patterns were compared between one tree in a tent with a supplementation of pollen from five clones not represented in the tent and another tree of the same clone subject to open pollination outside the tents. By using DNA markers the paternity was determined for 48 seeds from each tree. The results show a big difference in pollen contamination between the two trees. The tree inside the tent showed a contamination rate of 0% and the tree from the open pollination had a contamination rate of 20,5%. No difference was found in the numbers of different fathers although the selfing rate of 4,26% was higher in the tent than the selfing rate of 2,56% observed in the open pollination environment. These results match the results of other studies done on the same orchard pretty well and therefore tent isolation with a supplementary pollination can be a good way to reduce unwanted pollen contamination.

In this study, pollen contamination (measured by the number of seeds pollinated by pollen not belonging to any of the clones on the seed orchard) is compared between open pollination and isolated pollination environments in a Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris) seed orchard called Västerhus, located outside Önsköldsvik. In this seed orchard a tent experiment is taking place. Skogforsk has built six large tents covering 12-14 trees with each tent. Fertilization patterns were compared between one tree in a tent with a supplementation of pollen from five clones not represented in the tent and another tree of the same clone subject to open pollination outside the tents. By using DNA markers the paternity was determined for 48 seeds from each tree. The results show a big difference in pollen contamination between the two trees. The tree inside the tent showed a contamination rate of 0% and the tree from the open pollination had a contamination rate of 20,5%. No difference was found in the numbers of different fathers although the selfing rate of 4,26% was higher in the tent than the selfing rate of 2,56% observed in the open pollination environment. These results match the results of other studies done on the same orchard pretty well and therefore tent isolation with a supplementary pollination can be a good way to reduce unwanted pollen contamination.

The increasing frequency and severity of windthrow events affecting the forestry industry in New Zealand have raised important management issues surrounding the rate of colonisation of fallen trees by sapstain fungi and the time available for salvage harvesting before sapstain degradation limits potential economic returns. These fungi are known to be spread by a multitude of factors including wind, rain splash, harvesting processes and insect vectoring. Apart from the ecological interest in these interactions between fungi, plants and insects, sapstain fungi are also economically important because their hyphae discolour the sapwood and reduce the overall quality of the timber. The amount of time available to salvage harvest damaged trees is unknown, especially on seasonal and regional scales. Manipulative experiments were established in Pinus radiata forests to examine this seasonal and regional variation in sapstain attack following windthrow, and to investigate the importance of bark beetles as vectors of sapstain fungi. A range of methods were implemented to assess the role of bark beetles as vectors and to ascertain which sapstain fungi are associated with them. Experimental billet logs were caged to exclude beetles and subsequently analyse fungal attack in comparison with identical logs left exposed to beetles. In addition, individual beetles were sampled directly to determine whether they carried spores of particular fungal species and to assess the degree of association in vector-fungal dynamics. Finally, a novel application of DNA melt peak analysis was developed to investigate variation among the fungal communities associated with beetles potentially involved in vectoring sapstain spores. The moisture content of fallen trees was found to be the main factor regulating sapstain development, and when moisture content drops below 100% (on dry weight basis) sapstain fungi grew rapidly. The speed at which this level drops depends on the season, with much faster drying occurring in the warmer months of spring and summer. As a result, trees that fell in the previous winter or autumn did not develop significant sapstain levels until temperatures rose in the following summer, suggesting that storm-damaged trees that fall in winter can be left safely until just before the next summer before they are no longer suitable for salvage harvest. In New Zealand, the bark beetle species acting as vectors of sapstain fungi are not behaviourally adapted to colonisation of logs that are not in contact with the ground. Following windthrow events in pine forests, trees generally lie with their stems suspended above the level of the ground by their branches. As a result, under these circumstances, beetle colonisation of windthrown timber was low, and bark beetles were not a significant vector of stain. The caged and un-caged experimental log billets, however, were in contact with the ground, resulting in colonisation of the un-caged logs. In this case, bark beetles did play an important role in contributing to sapstain intensity, and the stain distribution within the logs mirrored that of the stain distribution. However, this effect may be due to the provision of access points for wind- or water-borne spores of the non-insect vectored stain fungus Diplodia pinea, or to the spread of hyphae through the tunnelling and feeding activities of beetles within the tree, rather than by bark beetles acting as vectors of spores. Bark beetles were confirmed as sapstain vectors with the isolation of seven different ophiostomatoid stain fungi from them, five of which were also found in wood. Finally, the development of a laboratory based, rapid species identification method was developed to identify fungal DNA. Melt peak analysis allowed the species-specific DNA melt temperatures to be compared with the melt temperatures of known species to be able to rapidly, and cheaply, identify an unknown species. Bark beetles are vectors of sapstain fungi in P. radiata forests, however the bark beetle species naturalised in New Zealand prefer to colonise wood when it is in contact with the ground. Following windthrow, trees are generally not attacked by beetles as they are held from the ground by their branches, leaving them to be stained predominantly be wind and rain dispersed stain fungus D. pinea. Stain did not occur until the moisture content of fallen trees dropped below 100%, which only happens in the warm months of summer and spring. In New Zealand, there are interactions between trees and bark beetles, and bark beetles with fungal pathogens from all around the globe resulting in a unique novel assemblage of species together for the first time. Understanding the dynamics of these species in their novel environment is crucial to effectively responding to potential pest threats.

Wood stiffness or modulus of elasticity (MOE) is one of the most important wood properties for solid timber applications, and as such, the efficacy of wood use, especially for structural timber is strongly related to MOE. MOE in Pinus radiata is highly variable and poorly understood. In this study, the effect of initial stand spacing and breed on outerwood MOE and the vertical distribution of MOE of Pinus radiata was assessed. Understanding positive or negative influences of growth caused by initial stand spacing and genetic material on MOE is appealing because it could enable us to better comprehend how forest growers could adapt silvicultural operations to the demands of wood processing. Physical characteristics of different breeds and propagation methods of Pinus radiata were assessed at a variety of initial stand spacings. Stem diameter, crown height, stem slenderness and branch size were all heavily influenced by stand spacing. Breed had a marginally significant influence on diameter and stem slenderness. Internode length was not affected by stand spacing, but showed sizeable differences, especially between the long internode 870 breed and the remaining growth and form (GF) breeds. Outerwood MOE was significantly (P<0.0001) influenced by stand spacing and breed, but not their interaction (P>0.05). MOE scaled positively with stand spacing. MOE increased by 39% from 5.4 GPa at 209 stems ha-1 to 7.5 GPa at 2551 stems ha-1. The majority of this increase (33%) occurred between 209 and 835 stems ha-1. Physiologically aged cuttings of greater maturation status exhibited greater MOE, with the three-year-old cuttings being stiffer than the one-year-old cuttings, seedlings from the 870, 268 and 850 series, by 15, 17, 22 and 27%, respectively. Stem slenderness exhibited the strongest significant (P<0.0001) relationship with MOE (r2=0.49), followed by green crown height (r2=0.46) and diameter (r2=0.44). Stem slenderness and green crown height had a direct influence on MOE that explained 53% of the variance in MOE. MOE was also significantly (P<0.0001) influenced by spacing and breed when using the resonance technique to assess whole stem MOE. The vertical distribution of MOE showed that the lowest portion of the stem (bolt 1) was approximately 30% less stiff than bolts 2 and 3. After the greatest MOE value had been obtained at bolt 3, MOE gently declined to the top of the measured stem. Variation of MOE within trees was significant (58%) at the high stockings of 1457 and 2551 stems ha-1, but somewhat lower (36%) at the lower stockings. The 870 breed was approximately 8% and 16% stiffer than the 268 and 850 breeding series respectively, across all stockings, with the three-year-old cuttings being 7% stiffer than the one-year-old cuttings. At stockings of 481 stems ha-1 and less, the proportional height at which MOE was greatest within a tree was between 25% and 50% of stem height. At stockings above 481 stems ha-1 the proportional height at which maximum MOE was obtained was between 15% and 40% of stem height. Bolt slenderness was found to be the most significant factor impacting on MOE of the bolt. Regression of critical buckling height against diameter at ground level yielded a scaling exponent of 0.55, which was lower than the scaling exponent of 0.67 predicted with constant density-specific stiffness. There was a tendency for some bolts with lower mean diameter to display significantly higher safety margins than bolts with higher mean diameter, suggesting that the largest bolts, which occur at the base of tree, are the point of most likely critical failure.

Diplodia tip blight is an important disease of pines, especially Scots pine Christmas trees in Kentucky. The hypothesis for my thesis work was that D. pinea could be acquired and transmitted on the tools during annual shearing of the Christmas trees. Samples taken from tools after shearing on two different Christmas tree farms in Kentucky in 2005 and 2006 yielded D. pinea colony forming units, but in very low quantities; typically less than 10 CFUs per collection. Diplodia-associated dieback from the sheared tips was never found in the field, suggesting that transmission and subsequent infections were not occurring via these sheared tips. Controlled infections indicated that a minimum of 100 spores was necessary to create symptomatic infections on sheared tips. Lysolandamp;reg; Disinfectant Spray did not remove D. pinea from tools when sprayed on them after shearing, but it did effectively prevent spore germination in vitro. Observations of Diplodia lesion development on one Scots pine Christmas tree farm in Kentucky during the springs of 2006 and 2007 suggested that D. pinea infections occurred primarily via the bases of needle bundles on elongating shoots. The most likely source of inoculum was dead infested pine tissues within and beneath the canopy. The use of a protectant fungicide may have resulted in an observed dramatic decrease of disease on this farm.

Denna uppsats presenterar tre designförslag på samplanteringar med barrväxter i fokus. Designförslagen är gjorda till tre fiktiva platser med olika ståndort i växtzon 5, en liten entréplantering i västerläge med kalkhaltig jord, en mellanstor plantering i söderslänt med sandblandad jord och en parkplantering med fuktig jord med ett lågt pH-värde. Platserna är valda med tanken att läsarna ska kunna inspireras att använda barrväxter i olika typer av planteringar och trädgårdar. Till grund för växtvalen har gjorts en litteraturstudie inom området barrväxter, med fokus på barrväxters ståndort och hur de fungerar i samplanteringar med perenner och lignoser. Bakom designförslagen ligger även en idé om att hitta lite nya sätt att använda barrväxter, detta för att inte göra upprepningar av de skötselfria planteringarna med barrväxter som blev så oerhört populära på 70-talet och som delvis givit barrväxter ett dåligt rykte. Designförslagen presenteras i utförliga illustrationer och genom en processbeskrivning för att belysa designprocessens vägar och val, från början till slut.

Pinus radiata is the most planted tree in the southern hemisphere. The planted trees are especially susceptible to pathogens, but even the native population, nowadays limited tomerely five locations, are threatened by diseases caused by arthropods, fungi and dehydration. Endophytes are bacteria or fungi that reside inside healthy plant tissue, and often have a beneficial effect on their hosts. Endophytes can help plants adapt to abiotic stress such as drought and protect them against pathogens and insect pests. Given the roles that endophytes play in host stress responses, it is possible that without studying endophytes we may not fully understand a plant’s response to increased temperatures and climate-induced disease.Using Illumina-sequencing of the 16S rRNA-gene the bacterial endophyte community in 15 trees from three of the remaining native populations were studied. By investigating trees from several sites geographical community differences were discovered. The three overall most dominating bacterial taxa can all be connected with genera known to contain members withanti-fungal properties.

This thesis examines the ethnobotany, physiology, anatomy, and nutritional value of edible lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta Douglas ex Louden var. latifolia Engelm. ex S. Watson ) cambium. Many First Peoples of the Pacific Northwest historically used lodgepole pine cambium. It was so popular among interior First Peoples of British Columbia that it was considered a universal food. Even though harvesting and consumption of pine cambium is diminishing in popularity today, I was able to learn from some Tsilhqot‟in First Peoples on Redstone Reserve who had prior experience with pine cambium. Nutritional analysis of lodgepole pine cambium revealed the tissues to be high in protein and sugar as well as a suite of micronutrients, which contribute to overall immunity and electrolyte balance. While lodgepole pine cambium is considered a sweet, seasonal treat by many First Peoples it is evident through my analysis that there are added nutritional benefits beyond the pleasure of consumption. This research illustrates an important case study of an endangered traditional food, which can be integrated into modern diets today. It also explores the integration of multiple disciplines of knowledge to inform this subject matter, providing multiple dimensions to understanding cambium production, timing of harvest, and benefit of consumption. / Graduate

Loblolly pine (Pinus taeda L.) is an ecologically and economically important southern pine, distributed across the southeastern United States. Its genetic improvement for breeding and deployment is a major goal of the Western Gulf Forest Tree Improvement Program (WGFTIP) hosted by the Texas A&M Forest Service. Rapid advances in genomics and molecular marker technology have created potential for application of Marker Assisted Selection (MAS) and Genomic Selection (GS) for accelerated breeding in forest trees. First-generation selection (FGS) and second- generation selection (SGS) breeding populations of loblolly pine from east Texas were studied to estimate the genetic diversity, population structure, linkage disequilibrium (LD), signatures of selection and association of breeding traits with genetic markers using a genome-wide panel of 4264 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). Under- standing the genetic basis of local adaptation is crucial to disentangle the dynamics of gene flow, drift and selection and to address climate change. Bayesian mixed linear models and logistic regression were used to associate SNP variation with geography, climate, aridity and growth season length and markers with strong correlations were investigated for biological functions. Relatively high levels of observed (Ho = 0.178–0.198) and expected (He = 0.180-0.198) heterozygosities were found in all populations. The amount of inbreeding was very low, and many populations exhibited a slight excess of heterozygotes. The population substructure was weak, but FST indicated more pronounced differentiation in the SGS populations. As expected for outcrossing natural populations, the genome-wide LD was low, but marker density was insufficient to deduce the decay rate. Numerous associations were found between various phenotypes and SNPs, but few remained significant after false positive correction. Signatures of diversifying and balancing selection were found in markers representing important biological functions. Strong correlations supported by Bayes factors were found between various environmental variables and several SNPs. Logistic regression found hundreds of significant marker-environment associations, but none remained significant after false-positive correction, which was likely too stringent and will require further investigation. Annotations of significant markers implicated them in crucial biological functions. These results present the first step in the application of MAS to the WGFTIP for loblolly pine genetic improvement and will contribute to the knowledgebase necessary for genomic selection technology. Results from environmental association study provide important information for designing breeding strategies to address climate change and for genetic conservation purposes.

Whitebark pine (Pinus albicaulis) is declining across its range due to disturbances such as mountain pine beetle and white pine blister rust. In this thesis, I assess the response and vulnerability of whitebark pine ecosystems to multiple stressors and disturbances at the northern edge of P.albicaulis range in the Coastal Mountains of British Columbia, Canada. Both the compositional change over time of overstory and understory communities as well as vegetation spatial patterns suggest that different sites or ecosystem types housing whitebark pine may differ in their response to disturbance and stress. Surveys conducted ~ 20 years apart indicate that overstory community change differed between site types following the decline of P. albicaulis over time, while the understory did not change significantly. The spatial pattern of overstory species and understory communities also indicates that site type may be important in determining forest change under ongoing disturbance to whitebark pine. / Forest Biology and Management