Author Description

In the late 1970s logging extended to higher elevations where little was known of the edaphic and climatic conditions. Because of late snowmelt, summer or fall planting had to considered. The initial experience with fall planting of Engelmann spruce at high elevations in the Lillooet Forest District resulted in variable plantation performance. This project was initiated to investigate the inconsistency in plantation performance in the Lillooet Forest District; to examine the reliability of summer, fall, and spring planting of Engelmann spruce over a variety of high elevation sites; and to describe the climate of high elevation reforestation sites. Five freshly logged sites were chosen in the Hurley River drainage, south of Goldbridge, representing a range of elevational, edaphic, and site preparation conditions. All sites were broadcast slashburned and each site was edaphically uniform. The preferred planting on each site was Englemann spruce. Seedling mortality and performance were examined annually.