Selection: starting with appropriate material

In any tree planting endeavour, it is essential to start with the right reproductive material. Your efforts to collect, analyse, store, propagate or improve plants will be wasted if you start with wrong or inferior material. Unfortunately, there are examples worldwide of forest regeneration programmes that have not been a success, because inadequate attention was given to starting with the right material.

This section will help you ensure that you know what background information you may need to lay a firm foundation. There are four aspects.

  • First, you should understand the technical, social, economic and environmental context in which trees will be regenerated.

  • Second, once the context is clear, it is important to know what the future uses of the trees or forests will be.

  • Third - knowing this - you will then be in a position to begin deciding which are the most appropriate species and geographic sources (or provenances) of reproductive material that you need.

  • Fourth and finally, the choice of material type can then be made, whether it is to be seed (as will often be the case), cuttings or some other more specialised material.

    These four aspects are considered in the following topics.

    • Putting your needs in context
    • Making sure of end uses
    • Selecting species and provenances
    • Choosing the right kind of material
    • last updated:  Wednesday, April 18, 2007