Examining possible causes of mortality in white pine seedlings

White pine (Pinus strobus L.) is one of the most important timber trees in the northeastern United States and eastern Canada (Demeritt and Garrett 1996). White pine is not native to Missouri; it is commonly planted for wind breaks and erosion control and as an ornamental. Unusual mortality of bare-root seedlings of white pine purchased from the George O. White State Forest Nursery has been occurring after planting throughout the state. Th ere are numerous possible explanations for white pine seedling mortality which may act alone or in combination. Lifting, packing, transportation, storage, and planting techniques can all infl uence seedling mortality after planting (Venator 1985). Also, extreme weather conditions after planting will increase seedling mortality (e.g., drought, overwatering, fl ooding, hot summers). Th e objective of this study was to determine the perspectives of private landowners toward possible causes of white pine mortality. In early 2009, a telephone survey was conducted of individuals selected from the State Forest Nursery customer database for 2007, 2008, and 2009. One hundred and sixty people were called between April 21 and May 13, 2009. Each household was called two to fi ve times during this period. Fifty individuals completed the telephone survey. Forty-eight percent of respondents reported an increase in white pine seedling mortality during the past 3 years, but the increase was not limited to any particular area of the state. A majority of respondents who noticed an increase in mortality (62 percent) indicated that the mortality problem started in 2007. Most respondents (60 percent) did not have an opinion on what might be causing the mortality; however, 45 percent of the respondents who expressed an opinion about the possible cause of white pine seedling mortality thought that the mortality was caused by drought or fl ooding after planting. In fact, a number of people suggested that 2007 had drought-like conditions, and 2008 and 2009 were too wet, and this combination contributed to seedling mortality during the past 3 years. Twenty percent of respondents that experienced a problem believed that packaging and transportation caused the seedlings to die.