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8-Orono Weekly Times, Wednesday. March 30th. 1979 Martin Fung at the Orono The second cutting expected Tree Nursery supervises the in another three months will# first cutting of 88,000 Black involve some 150,000 seed- Çpruce seedlings by Margaret lings. A third cutting in Bçown and Shirley Perdue. September would involve the topping of 300,000 young seedlings to produce the expected quota of 600,000 there is still a long way to go for Josie Taylor and seedlings. It has been pointed Juanita Martin in assisting out that there could be a lot of with the job of clipping the problems along the way and a tops off some 80,000 black lot of 'ifs'. spruce seedlings at the Orono Tree Nursery and replanting them for an ultimate goal of 600,000 seedlings by the end of the summer. In three months, if all goes well, it could be upwards of 160,000 seedlings to clip. Problems always arise to be sçlved and the Provincial Tree Nuresery in Orono is 1 launched in a process of solving one of the problems faced in the forest industry today. In effect the Nursery is endeavouring to have avail- ' able at the end of the year or early in 1980 some 600,000 Black Spruce seedlings from a quantity of 100,000 select seeds. There is a great demand for Black Spruce seedlings in northern Ontario for future, use as pulp but over the past eleven years the supply of seed has been limited due to some form of natural causes. Black Spruce is one of the. better woods native to north ern Ontario for the production of pulp for quality paper. As there has been a limited amount of seed available the Province has embarked on a pilot project in Orono to stimulate the supply of Black Spruce seedlings. The Orono pilot project includes the use of a new greenhouse at the Nursery with a somewhat controlled atmosphere including humidity. humidity. 100,000 Black Spruce seeds, were sown in the greenhouse in the early part of January. Of these eighty-eight percent germinated and to date have grown almost to three inches in height. This record would compare to a twenty to thirty percent germination in the seed beds in the field and under natural conditions. The .young growth of the seedlings are now being clipped and planted in a mixture of prepared soil for rooting which is expected to take some three weeks under provided conditions at the Nursery. In theory this clipping clipping should produce another possible 88,000 young seedlings. seedlings. Other cuttings will again be taken throughout certain periods of the year until September when it is hoped there will be some 600,000 young seedlings for •shipment to the north at the end of the year or early in 1980. A long way to go The Orono Nursery has in the past undertaken a similar project in White Spruce producing young seedlings through cuttings from selected selected mature trees. This project was undertaken for tree improvement of the species. It was pointed out at the Nursery that in an effort to improve timber production The process being used is similar to that of the home gardener in propagation of geraniums or impatiens. Martin Fung, a graduate of the University of Toronto, is in charge of the project at Orono and has had some experience in this type of propagation. Martin in graduating graduating from the U of T wrote his thesis on producing Larch seedlings from cuttings. some tree orchards are being established especially for seed production. The orchards orchards are being started either from selected seeds or cuttings with the view in mind of specie improvement. One white pipe orchard has been established at the Orono Tree Nursery and in January White .Spruce seeds with known parentage was sown. These seeds have now geminated geminated and when of age will be shipped out to establish a White Spruce seed orchard. It will take some twenty years before the White Spruce orchard is' producing seed for use throughout the province. Test-tube trees Another group of • young three montlft under the con- have known and recorded . t0 establish a white spruce white spruce seedlings which trolled copditions of a green- parentage and are to be used , s èed orchard. ' have sprung up over the past house. These young seddlings ' SAVE REASONABLE PRICES 1 SB? A LOU SAVE SAVE WHY PAY MORE FOR HEATING SAVE ON PREMIUM QUALITY FUEL OIL FOR AUTOUR FUEL OIL NEpK 1517 DUNMS ST. EAST WHITBY Telephone To**! Call Collect 6604&1 Prompt, Courteous Service