Using economic and decision making concepts to evaluate and design a corporate tree improvement program

This paper describes how economic and decision making techniques were used, for a corporately owned timber tract to evaluate an existing Douglas-fir tree improvement program and to plan its future direction. The authors designed tree improvement alternatives to meet the projected seed requirements over time. The alternatives differ in the amount of gain they will provide, and in their cost. Considered are the collection of cones from designated parents in wild stands, first-generation seed orchards of two types, second-generation seed orchards of two types, and combinations of first and second generation orchards.