An Experimental Design for Outplanting Nursery Trials on Heterogeneous Sites

Abstract

The selection of the field design for outplanting a nursery study is determined by the researcher's objectives and, to some extent, the heterogeneity of the outplanting site. Square (or almost square), multiple-tree plots are recommended for long-term studies, but owing to the size of replications, large uniform sites are required to minimise variability within replications. Large uniform areas may be difficult to locate on many forest sites. However, when using single-tree plots for short-term outplanting studies, replications are much smaller and the site selected need not be as homogeneous. This paper describes the advantages and disadvantages of using single-tree plots for field evaluation of nursery treatments.