Home

Working questions and observations:

Is the English ditty Oak before ash relevant in Newfoundland?

"Oak before ash, will just be a splash.
Ash before oak, we're in for a soak."

The old rhyme predicts a dry summer because the oak tree blooms well before the ash tree.


Do Quercus robur provenance Holland outperform Quercus robur provenance New Forest England?

Are the leader stems of hybrid Korean fir (Abies koreana x Abies fraseri/Abies balsamea) larger than either parent? January 2010.

Do Fraser Fir break bud later than Balsam Fir in Newfoundland? (May 17, 2006). Answer appears to be yes, spring/summer 2009.

Red Pine appear to be very intolerant of shade. Numerous examples exist of dead Red Pine next to living Scotch Pine, both planted at the same time and growing under similar light levels. In cases where Red Pine were barely alive (minimal green needles), clearing brush (mostly alder) from around the Red Pine allowed the Red Pine to recover substantially within 1 year. Numerous examples known on the Plateau. August 28, 2007

Is Nordmann (Caucasian) Fir comfortable in Newfoundland? 3 specimens under moderate stress show no cones at GW. These three specimens were planted at the same time as Ponderosa Pine, Lodgepole Pine, Red Pine, Korean Fir, and Fraser Fir, all of which have developed cones for up to 6 years. (June 15, 2006)

English Oak found alive in May 2006 had been shaded and thought lost under thick alders since shortly after their planting from acorns in 1994, thus showing strong shade tolerance.

Seed collected from 2 European Silver Birch September 15, 2005 are germinating in a germination test at Port aux Basques. Hence, viable seed have been produced from 2 original European Silver Birches grown from seed imported from FW Schumacher in the 1990s. (May 20, 2006)