TreeLines

March 2023 – 1st Edition

TreeLines

March 2023 – 1st Edition

TreeLines

March 2023 – 1st Edition

Kleenex or Puffs?

Kleenex or Puffs?

Kleenex or Puffs?

Without a doubt, it’s pollen season. And if there can be a “good” pollen season, this sure has been one. Chances are you have reached for a Kleenex or two these last few weeks. But have you? Or was it a Puffs? See, Kleenex is a brand name, but over time has become the name we call a tissue. And all tissue is the same, right? The folks that make Puffs probably disagree – strongly.

ArborGen Elite Comparison Chart

Some companies market the industry stand-by 7-56 as Elite. ArborGen sells the same seedling as Select, our “middle grade” (Advanced, Select, Elite), because we use more stringent criteria for categorizing our seedlings. Within ArborGen, Elite is considered the best among OP families or the top 3 percent in an index combining growth and the quality traits such as fusiform rust resistance, stem straightness, and forking reduction. A tissue by Kleenex is not necessarily the same quality tissue as Puffs. Their OP Elite is not our OP Elite.

Make sure you compare apples to apples when comparing one provider’s seedlings with another. Ask for the data to ensure you get what you think you are paying for. Ask your Reforestation Advisor to explain the difference between ours and theirs.

Did You Know? The Language Has Changed…

Seedling suppliers have moved away from “generation” vocabulary for over a decade. Tree improvement foresters have known for years it is not how old the tree is. Instead, it is crucial to understand the genetic performance of an individual family. On average, second-generation loblolly pine families were better than first-generation selections. In theory, third-generation families would represent an improvement over second and first-generation material. But this is not always the case. Some first-generation families still outperform second and even third-generation selections. New categorical designations such as Advanced, Select, and Elite have replaced “generation” and are a part of our modern reforestation language.

The genetic value created from an individual loblolly pine family can be attributed to four main criteria: growth/productivity, fusiform rust resistance, stem straightness, and forking reduction. This criterion applies to Open Pollinated (OP) and Mass Control Pollinated (MCP®) seedlings. OP is synonymous with first, second, and third generation, where we know the mother’s genetic contribution but not the father’s (pollen source). MCP families use the best OP families to make control crosses of known mothers and fathers, providing a much improved seedling.

Bullard Nursery Operations & Genetics Tour

Join us for a tour of the Bareroot and ALL NEW Container Nursery at Bullard and a Forest Genetics Presentation for Western Gulf Foresters and Landowners.

• Genetics Overview and Product Development
• Bareroot & Container Seedling Crop Visits
• Forest Genetics Demonstration

Click on the “Register” button below to see the agenda and RSVP. We hope to see you there!