The Effect of Stumping Back on Survival and Growth of Planted Fraxinus angustifolia Vahl

Effects of stumping back on the performance of browsed or poorly developing Fraxinus angustifolia seedlings were investigated in the present study. One year old bareroot seedlings of F. angustifolia were planted at a spacing of 2x2 m in March, 2004. Most of the growing seedlings were damaged by heavy animal browsing or grew poor in the first growing season. At the end of the first vegetation period a randomized block design with three replications were designed to evaluate the effect of stumping back on the performance of F. angustifolia seedlings. The treatments were (A) undamaged seedlings with good growth (shoot increment >20 cm) not stumped back, (B) undamaged seedlings with poor growth (shoot increment <5 cm) stumped back and (C) damaged seedlings by heavy animal browsing stumped back at 8 cm above the root collar in December 2004. Singling was done in stumped back plants in mid-May 2005 and a healthy straight stem was left. It was found that stumping back significantly increased growth of poorly developing or heavy browsed seedlings and didn’t reduce survival after two growing seasons following stumping back in December 2006.