Evaluation of twenty-years-old pedunculate and sessile oak provenance trial

This paper deals with the measurement and evaluation of pedunculate and sessile oaks on five provenance trial plots located in the forest regions Západočeská pahorkatina, Jihočeská pánev, Hornomoravský úval, Dolnomoravský úval, Bílé Karpaty and Vizovické vrchy at the age of 20 years. Height and diameter growth were measured and analysed and the quality of tree stems was recorded. Sampled seeds originated from certified stands for seed production located in the Hercynian and Carpathian regions of the Czech Republic. Differences between the two species result from their ecological requirements. A comparison of the two species indicates that pedunculate oak at young age grows better than sessile oak in its typical site conditions. Sessile oak grows relatively worse on the plots situated in floodplain site conditions because it does not tolerate the high levels of groundwater. But the differences were not statistically significant. Significant differences in growth parameters were confirmed within each species among plots and provenances. Large differences in stem shape quality were also recorded already in the early growth phase. In some provenances straight stems were present in up to 56% of the individuals, however, in others straight stems did not appear at all. The total results showed that some pedunculate and sessile oak provenances are more adaptable to site conditions and they suffer lower losses while achieving very good growth.