Planting

Learning Objectives

• Understand the importance of proper stock handling and

know the timing and procedures for storing, shipping,

preparing and field storage of spring, summer and fall

planting stock.

• Understand the importance of communicating and

monitoring correct planting procedures including:

spacing, choice of microsites, root and stem placement.

The number of seedlings planted per year peaked in the

early 1990’s in BC, and now varies from 80-90% of the

area harvested annually.

What happens to the rest of the denuded areas?

8.7 million ha in 2005

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MPB

Fire

Harvest

Planting

What is a high quality

planted tree?

Trees can be planted manually…

This is seasonal work. There is a shortage of experienced

planters for projects where site selection is critical. Use site

preparation to make spot selection easier. Train the planters

and crew leaders in spot selection.

by machine…

or aerially.

What problems do you see with aerial distribution of seedlings?

http://earthfirst.com/mission-seedbomb-guerilla-gardening-on-a-massive-scale/

Stock handling:

• The ‘Handling Chain’ includes all steps from nursery to

planting hole.

• The goal is to ensure the full growth potential of the

seedling upon leaving the nursery is present when it is

planted.

• Stress and physical damage are cumulative. Minimize:

- heat, freezing, and rapid temperature change

- excessive moisture or excessive dryness

- excessive radiation

- physical damage, dropping or shaking boxes or bundles

- moulds and fungi

Handling practices vary with planting window:

Spring - container seedlings are thawed by placing in a

room at 5 C for 2-3 weeks, then shipped in refrigerated

trailers at 2-4 C. Stock may be stored in local refrigerated

storage and shipped daily to planting site in insulated

canopies (e.g. FIST). Stock is monitored every few days for

signs of flushing and mould. On site storage in deep shade

near snow or creeks with boxes closed under Silvacool

tarps, silver side down. Bare root stock is sometimes

‘heeled in’ along shady banks.

Some companies are spring planting frozen seedlings in

northern BC. These trees must be individually wrapped

before winter storage. Growth and survival results are

mixed – so experimentation is necessary to match to site

conditions.

Summer and Fall:

Trees are shipped directly to planting site in refrigerated

trailers and planted immediately. At planting site, open

boxes and keep trees in deep shade under suspended tarp

- they are photosynthesizing and transpiring.

During planting at any

season minimize physical

abuse - dropping/throwing

boxes or bundles, rough

transport, stripping bare

roots.

Heel in bare roots for

temporary on site storage.

Dip bare roots in peat slurry

before bagging up, keep

plugs or bare roots in bag

liners inside planting bags

with a wet sponge at the

bottom of the bag liner.

Tree planting procedures:

• Planting density - increase above free-growing target

density to account for survival rate.

• Inter-tree spacing - identify spacing which will result

in desired number of stems/ha:

Square spacing: stems/ha = 10000m2 / (a * b)

a=along row (m)

b=between row (m)

Triangular spacing packs more trees per hectare:

Spacing Trees/ha if

Square & a=b

Trees/ha if

Triangular

2.5 m 1600 1800

2.7 m 1372 1600

2.9 m 1189 1400

3.1 m 1041 1200

Spacing tolerance - acceptable range of spacing. Higher

for sites with poor plantability to allow planters to use best

spots.

Spacing tolerance - acceptable range of spacing. Higher

for sites with poor plantability to allow planters to use best

spots.

• Planting spot selection - microsite selection may have a greater

influence on stock performance than handling or planting

technique but is harder to enforce in planting contracts.

• Provide adequate tolerance on spacing to allow microsite

selection.

• Identify microsites with best conditions for tree growth in

contracts.

• Site prepare spots, or train planters to take advantage of

microsite variability.

Screefing

• Planter improves planting spot by removing L and part or all of F

horizon.

• Amount removed depends on species, climate and aspect, soil

type, vegetation control.

• Screefing slows production, if more than one pass boot or shovel

screef would be needed, consider site preparation.

• Avoid deep screefs with small stock, they can slough in on the

tree.

• On cold wet soils, Sx typically planted with part of plug in F-layer.

Tree placement - the figures below and on the next 2 pages show

common planting quality problems, other faults not shown include poor

spot selection, missed spots, and spacing too close or wide.

How do each of these faults affect tree survival and growth?

Planting shock - refers to poor shoot

growth in season following planting. It can

result from:

• Loss of energy reserves or mechanical

during nursery storage, shipping, interim

storage or planting.

• Poor microsite selection or planting

technique resulting in inadequate

moisture/nutrient supply, low or high

temperatures.

• Growth directed to repair of root or shoot

damage.

• Growth directed to root production and

away from shoot expansion on dry sites

(usually have much better growth in

second season).

Stocking Standards

• Planting densities depend on the desired products and stand

characteristics.

• In Europe stands may be planted at 5000sph and repeatedly

commercially thinned towards final crop densities of 400sph.

• In BC typical planting densities range from 800-1500sph for sawlog

production.

Stocking standards specify:

• the preferred and acceptable species of trees;

• the target number of healthy, well spaced trees required per hectare;

• the minimum allowable horizontal distance between trees of these species

required for the trees to be considered to be well spaced;

• the minimum number of healthy, well spaced trees required per hectare;

• the maximum number of coniferous trees allowed per hectare. ….e.g.: