Effect of provenance on the survival of Picea abies trees on the IPTNS-IUFRO 1964-68 site in Krynica (Poland)

In connection with the decline of spruce stands on the Krynica plots of IPTNS-IUFRO 1964/68, observed in the last decade and attributed to the so-called spiral disease, an attempt was made to determine whether the current health condition of trees is influenced by genotype (provenance). As shown by preliminary observations, the spruces differed in the degree of survival depending on provenance. The inventories of died or broken trees to be removed during the sanitary cutting, made in the years 2000, 2003, 2004 and 2008, yielded also information about the number of spruces that remained in the blocks of the experiment for each provenance and provenance region by Krutzsch (1968). Analysis of variance showed that genotype (provenance) has a statistically significant effect on the survival of trees. In the years 1999-2008, spruces from region 21 (Bohemian Forest) displayed the poorest survival rate in the conditions of the Beskid Sądecki Mts., while those from region 80 (Eastern Siberia) survived best.