In the last few years, considerable interest has developed in planting trees of "Canaan" fir for Christmas trees in Ohio and other states. Much of that interest stems from earlier research in Ohio (Brown, 1982) which found that trees of a seed source of balsam fir (Abies balsamea var. phanerolepis) from isolated stands in Canaan Valley, West Virginia, had a number of characteristics that would make them desirable for planting for Christmas trees. Those traits included adaptability to somewhat wetter soils than trees of Fraser fir from a Roan Mountain, North Carolina, seed source (Abies balsamea var. fraseri); later bud break in the spring than Fraser fir and sources of balsam fir from Pennsylvania and New York (Abies balsamea var. balsamea); and more lateral limbs on shoots between major whorls than for trees of the North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and New York origins.
Research with the West Virginia sources of balsam fir, including those from the Canaan Valley, has continued, including establishment of a series of plantings to further define their adaptability to a broad range of soil/site conditions. Examination of those and other "grower-owned" plantings has shown considerable variation in growth and foliage characteristics of trees, both between and within individual plantings.
Earlier studies in Ohio (Brown, 1976; Brown and Vimmerstedt, 1976) had shown that nitrogen applications made one or two years after planting improved foliage quality of Fraser fir (A. balsamea var. fraseri) and Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) planted on well-drained, low-fertility sites but had little effect on trees planted on fertile and/or wet sites. Other studies (Brown and Vimmerstedt, 1983) found that needle lengths, foliage weights, needle color, and foliar N levels in established Douglas-fir plantings on low-fertility sites were significantly improved by N fertilization but no significant benefits were observed from phosphorus or lime additions.
The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of nitrogen fertilization on growth and foliage characteristics of trees of a Canaan Valley, West Virginia, origin of balsam fir planted on sites having varying internal soil drainage characteristics.