In this study, we report field survival results of an analysis of the USDA Forest Service Reforestation Improvement Program. The field survival of 3 test plantings of ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa Laws. var. ponderosa) were modeled with regression analysis using a modified logit transformation. The initial predictor variables tested included nursery seedling morphological traits such as height, diameter, and stem and root weights; several performance attributes such as root growth potential, cold hardiness, and root exposure stress tests; and days since planting of the seedlings. Forest site weather variables measured during the first growing season reduced confounding between seedling quality tests and field survival measurements. Root growth potential was consistently important as a performance attribute in explaining survival of three field tests of ponderosa pine. The root exposure stress test was a useful measure for predicting survival of seedlings planted on warm sites, and the mean initial height of seedlings was an important predictor for survival on warm and very dry sites