The occurrence of winter damage to young conifer seedlings should be a concern to all silviculturists practicing in areas where the problem exists. Similarly, the physics of the injury mechanism and the physiology of plant responses to winter climatic stress should be of interest to northern plant scientists. This report is aimed at both audiences in the hope that it provides a structured review of existing research and extension of the knowledge of seedling/environment interactions.
We hope the degree of detail, scientific expression, and practical significance of the report will suit both audiences. Silviculturalists should appreciate the complexity of the mechanism of climatic adoption by northern conifers. For them, the synthesis and summary of pertinent scientific information, concepts, and conflicting evidence should reinforce appreciation of the difficulty in providing a simple, practical solution to the winter injury problem.
For the scientist, we hope this brief review of a cross section of research doctrines surrounding the issue of cold stress adoption will be a convenient reference. Attempts have been made to include a wide range of references to pertinent original works to enable the reader to access greater detail as required. Discussion has been built around the practical application of research towards the improvement of northern coniferous forest establishment. Lastly, by indicating the direction being taken by the B.C. Ministry of Forests’ Research Program, we hope that greater collaboration between researchers and research agencies will speed resolution of this winter injury problem.