Petrokas, R. 2011. Height Growth and its Relation to the Branching Habits of Wych Elm (Ulmus glabra Hudson) in Lithuania.  Baltic Forestry 17 (1): 73 – 90

It is well known that since trees grow additively, existing morphological traits may constrain future morphology and growth. Therefore, the branching habits of Wych elm (Ulmus glabra Hudson) have been investigated to establish a predictive model for height growth of trees. Open pollinated progeny from 6 Lithuanian populations were evaluated at seven years of age in a field trial in central Lithuania. To predict the presence of growth intensity based on values of a set of branching parameters (including basal bud number, branching trend, stem form, and natural pruning) the predictions were accomplished at the species level by applying the binary logistic regression procedure. In conclusion, selection for the greater height of Wych elm trees also means selection for the basal bud presence, amphitony, stem dominance, and perfect stem pruning.