Frost hardiness of Douglas fir (Pseudotsugamenziesii Mirb. Franco.) plants was assessed by a range of freezing tests in three experiments. In experiments 1 and 2 plants were grown in different temperature regimes, under short days, for 8 weeks to induce different levels of frost hardiness. In experiment 3, plants remained in the open and were sampled on 21 occasions through one year.Comparison of stem impedance measurements made at 1 kHz, 4.5 kHz, and 1 MHz, before and after freezing tests in experiments 1 and 2, indicated survival of individual plants was well predicted by post test measurements. The postfreezing test 1 kHz/1 MHz ratio distinguished between dead and surviving plants with the smallest number of measurements. Both this ratio and 4.5 kHz impedance provided similar conclusions about treatment effects, which agreed satisfactorily with conclusions from survival data. Impedance ratios of 1 kHz/1 MHz measured in stems after freezing tests accurately predicted survival in experiment 3. Seasonal changes in ratio, determined after freezing to a particular temperature, paralleled seasonal change in plant frost hardiness and was significantly correlated with exposure to cold during 14 days prior to measurement.