Abstract.-Mortality and growth of self and outcross families of three wind-pollinated, mixed-mating, long-lived conifers, Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesiii, ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa), and noble fir (Abies procera) were followed from outplanting to age 26 (25 for noble fir) in spaced plantings at a common test site. Response to inbreeding differed greatly among species over time and in all regards. Only Douglas-fir and noble fir will be contrasted here, because ponderosa pine usually was intermediate to the other two in its response to inbreeding. In earlier reports, compared to noble fir Douglas-fir had a higher rate of primary selfing and larger inbreeding depression in seed set. Douglas-fir continued to have higher inbreeding depression in nursery and early field survival. The species differed in time courses of inbreeding depression in height and in allocation of growth due to crowding. Between ages 6 and 12, the relative elongation rate (dm . dm-1 âą yr") of Douglas-fir was significantly greater in the selfs than in the outcrosses. The response was not observed in noble fir. At final measurement, inbreeding depression in diameter relative to inbreeding depression in height was greater in Douglas-fir than in noble fir. At final measurement inbreeding depression in height was inversely related to inbreeding depression in survival. Cumulative inbreeding depressions from time of fertilization to final measurement were 0.98, 0.94, and 0.83 for Douglas-fir, ponderosa pine, and noble fir, respectively, which indicates that selfs will not contribute to the mature, reproductive populations.Key words.-Abies procera, Douglas-fir, inbreeding depression, noble fir, photomorphogenic effects, Pinus ponderosa, ponderosa pine, Pseudotsuga menziesii.Received January 28, 1998. Accepted November 12, 1998 Inbreeding depression (ID) is the reduction in fitness associated with increased homozygosity. Its magnitude in natural populations differs greatly among species and sometimes among populations within species. This variation, both in severity of depression and in its ontogenetic timing, has been related to differences in the mating system, particularly the degree of selfing (Charlesworth and Charlesworth 1987;Lande et al. 1994;Latta and Ritland 1994;Parker et al. 1995;Husband and Schemske 1996). The review by Husband and Schemske (1996) is recent and thorough, and the reader is referred to it for details.The theoretical expectation is that high rates of primary selfing (selfing at the fertilization stage) will purge highly deleterious alleles (Lande and Schemske 1985;Charlesworth and Charlesworth 1987). Within-and among-species comparisons do indeed indicate that ID in embryo and neonatal survival and growth traits are negatively related with rate of primary selfing (Latta and Ritland 1994;Husband and Schemske 1996). However, the relationship also shows large variation around the regression line. This indicates that factors such as degree of dominance or complex modes of inheritance, magnitude of effect, genomic mutatio...