SOME RESULTS FROM SPECIES AND PROVENANCE TRIALS IN THE DEPARTMENT OF ANTIOQUIA, COLOMBIA ¹

by

Guillermo Restrepe Uribe ²

and

Luis María Atehortúa Velásquez ³

BACKGROUND

Reforestation with commercial species was started in the Department of Antioquia in Colombia at the beginning of the 1950's. By 1985, the total area planted amounted to 40,000 ha, consisting mainly of Pinus patula, Cupressus lusitanica and Pinus oocarpa, in this order of importance. INDERENA (Instituto Nacional de los Recursos Naturales Renovables y del Ambiente, the National Institute for Renewable Natural Resources and the Environment), had carried out some early research work on coniferous species, however additional research was urgently needed. A species and provenance programme was therefore started, towards the end of the 1980's, by the two companies Cipreses de Colombia S.A. and Industrias Forestales Doña María Ltda., involving 7 sites at different altitudes, in which 44 provenances and 21 species of the genera Cupressus and Pinus were tested. The seedlots included in the trials were, as far as possible, selected taking into consideration homo-climatic principles. Seed was collected partly locally, partly received through CTFT and INRA, France; ESNACIFOR, Honduras; CATIE, Costa Rica; and INDERENA and CVC, Colombia. Some seedlots from commercial seed and forestry companies were also included. The conditions of the four experimental sites are given in Table 1 below. The seedlots used are listed in Table 2.

Table 1. Geographic, climatic and edaphic conditions of the experimental sites in Antioquia, Colombia

RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS

At 5 years, the trials were evaluated, based on annual measurements. The results are given in Table 3.

AT 1400M (YOLOMBÓ), the most promising species is Pinus patula ssp. tecunumanii (syn. P. tecunumanii), provenance Mountain Pine Ridge, Belize; followed by Pinus oocarpa var. ochoterenai. Also some provenances of P. oocarpa can be recommended for continued use.

AT 1850M, 2300M AND 2750M (CALDAS, S. ANTONIO, S. ANDRÉS), the most promising species is Pinus patula ssp. patula. With the exception of the last-mentioned site, Cupressus lusitanica is comparable to P. patula in growth; however, its wood quality is better than that of P. patula. The differences between the various P. patula provenances tested are non-significant.

AT 1850 AND 2300M (CALDAS, S. ANTONIO), Pinus taeda (esp. provenance Marion County, Florida), shows potential promise. However, Pinus chiapensis and P. maximinoii are the best species after P. patula and C. lusitanica in the first of these two sites.

In general terms, the medium-altitude sites (1850 and 2300m) give better results than the extreme ones (1400 and 2750m), reflecting considerable differences in potential productivity between various types of potential plantation areas.

Based on the above results, follow-up experiments have been established using a range of provenances of Pinus oocarpa (all varieties) at the lowest site; and of P. patula ssp. patula in the highest-altitude sites. In the intermediate altitudes, trials are planned using provenances of Cupressus lusitanica. Further studies will also be carried out in the future on Pinus patula ssp. tecunumanii, P. chiapensis and P. taeda.

REFERENCES

Barrera M., Carlos. 1964 Tablas volumétricas del Cupressus lusitanica Mill. para la región de Piedras Blancas. Tesis Ing. Forestal. Medellín, Universidad Nacional de Colombia. 248 p.

Córdoba Salazar, Alberto. 1982 Tablas de volumen, peso verde y ecuación de conicidad para el Pinus oocarpa Schiede. Tesis Ing. Forestal. Medellín, Universidad Nacional de Colombia. 113 p.

Mariño Guecha, José Manuel. 1985 Tablas de volumen total y comercial, con corteza y sin corteza, para Pinus patula en el Departamento de Antioquia. Tesis Ing. Forestal. Medellín, Universidad Nacional de Colombia. 67 p.

Tschinkel, Heinrich. 1972 La clasificación de sitios y el crecimiento del Cupressus lusitanica en Antioquia, Colombia. Revista Facultad Nacional de Agronomía 27:3–30.

TABLE 2. Seedlots used in the trials in Antioquia, Colombia

*  Native stands
** Seed orchard seed

TABLE 3. Results from species and provenance trials at age 5

¹ Abridged version of a manuscript received December 1987. The full text is available (in Spanish) from the authors; or from FAO's Forest Resources Division, Forestry Department, Rome.

² Forestry Consultant, P.O. Box 1515, Medellin (Colombia).

³ Cipreses de Colombia S.A. & Industrias Forestales Doña Maria Ltda., P.O. Box 4368, Medellin (Colombia).