Keys to Successfully PlantingLongleaf Pine

Bill Pickens

2004 Tree Planters Meeting

Kinston, NC

Keys1. Well-prepared, competition-free sites

2. Healthy, top-quality seedlingsBareroot or Container?

Storage Length

3. Meticulous care and careful plantingProper Handling

Planting Depth

Plant Early

4. Proper post-planting care

“There is a strong, direct, and positive correlation between percent survival and initiation of height growth with intensity of site preparation”

(NCFS Forestry Note No. 61, “Establishment and Growth of Longleaf Pine on Droughty Sites in North Carolina, May 1988”

Importance of Site Preparation

“Longleaf . . . will grow best in the complete absence of all competition, . . . ”

(“Silvics of North America”, Vol. 1, USDA, Forest Service, Ag. Handbook 654)

“. . . it is imperative that adequate site prep be completed prior to tree planting . . .”

(Don H. “Zippo” Robbins, 1996 memo to Technical Development Unit)

Keys1. Well-prepared, competition-free sites

2. Healthy, top-quality seedlings

Bareroot or Container?

Storage Length

3. Meticulous care and careful plantingProper Handling

Planting Depth

Plant Early

4. Proper post-planting care

Top QualityBareroot Longleaf Seedlings

• Fibrous root system with RCD > .4 inch

• Tap root > 6 inches

• 5 or more first order lateral roots

• Moist roots

• Healthy foliage

Top Quality Containerized Longleaf

– Needle length must be at least 4” long

– Plugs must be at least 5.5 cu.in. in volume and at least 4.5” deep (4.75”)

– Root collar diameter < .20”– Cull “floppies”

Container or Bareroot

• 1995 Region-wide survey

% Survival(first year)

% HeightGrowth (after2nd year)

Bareroot 65 % 34 %

Container 83 % 62%

Bareroot vs Container

• Texas study 1994, loamy sand, cutover– Container LL- 93%– Bareroot LL- 12%

Bareroot or Container?

• Success with either if proper care and planting techniques are applied.

• Machine planted bareroot better survival than hand planted bareroot

Sonderegger Pines

Sonderegger “Guidelines”

• Stem Elongation <1 1/2 inches

• difficult to recognize and have LL characteristics

• Count as cull on Quality Tree planting Inspections, but if tract scores 75-85% due to sonderegger cull - OK to Cost Share

• < 75% ARF OK required

Storage issues

• Bareroot - Length of storage critical!– Keep to a minimum – No more than 10 days

• Container - Storage not as critical– Keep to a minimum– 2 weeks– Seedlings must be acclimated to colder weather

(hardened-off)

Adapted from a study by White

Effects of RCD and Storage on Bareroot Longleaf Survival

Study results ………..

Table 1. Percent mortality of container longleaf seedlings by number of weeks instorage

1996 Moist Site 1996 Dry Site 1997 1998Early Late Early Late Late Late

NoStorage

7.5 b 0.0 a 7.5 ab 5.0 a 16 a 42 a

1 week 20 c 10 bc 17.5 bc 2.5 a - -2 week 7.5 b 12.5 c 22.5 c 15 a 22 a 38 a3 week 2.5 a 5 ab 2.5 a 5 .0 a - -4 week n.a n.a n.a n.a 50 b 46 a6 week n.a n.a n.a n.a 20 a 42 a8 week n.a n.a n.a n.a 26 a 54 a

LL Storage Study 2000

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

Jan-01

Feb-01

Mar-01

Apr-01

May-01

Jun-01

Jul-01

Aug-01

Sep-01

Oct-01

#d

ea

d s

ee

dli

ng

s

no storage 2-week 4-week 6-week 8-week 10-week

Keys1. Well-prepared, competition-free sites

2. Healthy, top-quality seedlings

Bareroot or Container?

Storage Length

3. Meticulous care and careful planting

Proper Handling

Planting Depth

Plant Early4. Proper post-planting care

Planting Depth

• Do not cover terminal bud

• Bareroot with bud at ground level

• Container - keep bud above ground, anticipate washing or erosion, error shallow rather than deep

DEEP 1” SHALLOW 1 1/2”

Planting Method• Study Results:

NC Study results……….

Percent Survival -1st growing season

0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%

0 minus1/2" minus 1" minus 11/2" 1" deep

Sur

viva

l

2004 2003

Planting Method• Study Results:

Longleaf Planting Techniques

Machine Planting

Machine Planting

Machine Planting

Machine Planting

Planting Methods

• Hand Planting– Handle the seedlings carefully, protect

them from the sun and wind. 2 minutes of root exposure in severe condition can kill trees.

Planting Method

Common Tree Planting Tools

Early Planting

Early Planting of Containerized Longleaf Pine

RESULTS

LL Early Planting% Survival

Nov 14,2004

33%41% 39% 39% 45% 46%

56%

81%

48%

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

Keys1. Well-prepared, competition-free sites

2. Healthy, top-quality seedlings

Bareroot or Container?

Storage Length

3. Meticulous care and careful planting

Proper Handling

Planting Depth

Plant Early

4. Proper post-planting care

Florida pusley

Texas panicum

Morning glory & Sicklepod

Height Growth of Longleaf Pine Following Herbicide Treatments

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

Second Third Fourth

Year Following Planting

Heig

ht in

Fee

t

Broadcast - 2 yr.

Banded - 2 yr.

Broadcast - 1 yr.

Banded - 1 yr.

Check

Ag Fields Problems• Erratic survival for site treated with Oust or

Velpar

• High pH > 6.5 increases the activity of OUST - Limit to 1 oz. per broadcast acre

• Soil OM at < 2% increases VELPAR activity- limit to 21 oz. per broadcast acre & OUSTAR to10 oz. (equal to 22oz of VELPAR and 1.5 oz. of OUST)

• Do a SOIL TEST!!!

Keys1. Well-prepared, competition-free sites

2. Healthy, top-quality seedlingsBareroot or Container?

Storage Length

3. Meticulous care and careful plantingProper Handling

Planting Depth

Plant Early

4. Proper post-planting care