Conor O’Reilly

Influence of Nursery Cultural Practices on Cold Hardiness of Coniferous Forest Tree Seedlings

In many parts of the world the production of coniferous tree seedlings in nurseries is dependent on surviving the effects of freezing temperatures in winter. In some northern temperate forest regions, seedlings are grown outdoors and can be exposed to potentially damaging freezing temperatures any month of the year. Elsewhere, seedlings in nurseries may experience freezing temperatures outside during the winter or may be protected by cold or frozen storage in a controlled environment. In each of the above cases, the ability to withstand freezing and the overall stress resistance associated with cold hardening of conifer seedlings make cold hardiness an important attribute for nursery stock production.