ABSTRACT
Forest trees represent a renewable resource of fiber, chemicals, and energy. Forests also hold a firm and necessary place in our conception of what the landscape should be from aesthetic, watershed, and wildlife habitat perspectives. Forest management practice involves site preparation before planting, controlled burning, and perhaps thinning or the use of mixed species stands to reduce competition for nutrients and space. This chapter focuses primarily on the procedures which have been demonstrated with forest species. It examines some features of traditional vegetative propagation among forest species and then turn our attention to recent advances in tissue culture methodology. During their course of development, plants pass through a series of consecutive stages each of which possesses certain morphologic characteristics. As a tree grows, the entire plant passes through stages recognized as juvenile to mature in growth habit.
