VARIATION IN GROWTH AMONG NINE BOSNIAN HERZEGOVINIAN PROVENANCES OF SILVER FIR (Abies alba Mill)

UDK: 630*232:582.475(497.6) Provenance experiments with forest trees provide valuable information about the growth and adaptability of population, often transferred from remote geographical regions and various climate conditions. This study researches the growth of nine provenances of silver fir from the area of its natural distribution in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The experiment was established in the year 1991 in the form of a random block system with 5 repetitions. For planting, we used five-year-old seedlings (2/3), and planting spacing was 2x2 m. Each Silver fir provenance was included with 320 plants. Measurement results in the 28th year of age show the existence of variations between silver fir provenances in characteristics; mean height, mean diameter and average tree volume. Silver fir provenance from Bosanski Petrovac showed the best results. The mean height of this Silver fir provenance at the age of 28 was 9.1 m, while the mean diameter was 11.9 cm. Provenances that show the lowest growth (8.1 m) were from Pale, Olovo-Klis and Konjic. Silver fir provenance from Konjic has the lowest mean diameter (10.7 cm). In all provenances, we have had a culmination of height increment in age between 20 and 25 years. Variation between tested silver fir provenances for examined characteristic “mean height” was larger (four groups of population) compared to examined characteristic “mean diameter” (two groups of population). Volume of mean tree (0.062m3) and assortment (111.33 m3/ha) in Bosanski Petrovac provenance was larger than spreadsheet values for the first yield class for Central Europe conditions. The trial shows that silver fir in Bosnia and Herzegovina is variable on the local level due to specific micro-habitual conditions in which it grows.