Wind-pollinated families from four geographic areas in the northern Sierra Nevada were tested in the nursery. For every area, the native families differed significantly from each other in 1-year seedling height, and in 2-year height, diameter, and stem volume. Family growth was poorly correlated with family seed weight; it was independent of germination speed and seed parent stem volume. The size of planting stock can be improved and small-grade seedling production decreased by eliminating from future collections seed trees whose families show poor growth in the nursery.