REFORESTATION

Regeneration

• Establishing or re-establishing the forest through natural or artificial means

Natural RegenerationAdvantages

• Low cost• Less labor and equipment required• No problem with local seed origin• Good early root development• Less visual impact compared to

clear-cut• Less soil erosion

Natural RegenerationDisadvantages

• Less control of spacing and stocking• Generally lower yields• No genetic improvement• No disease resistant stock• Possible lag in regeneration due to

drought or inadequate seed fall• May need pre-commercial thinning to

obtain good growth

Natural Regeneration Methods

•Seed tree•Shelterwood•All age management

Seed Tree Method

• Most popular method used for natural regeneration

• Dependant on size and seed producing capacity of trees

• Leave between 6 to 12 trees per acre evenly distributed over the area

• Disadvantage-getting a logger to come back for a small number of trees

Shelterwood Method

• Leave 25-60 trees per acre• Provides good source of seed &

shelter to encourage natural regeneration

• Disadvantage-reduces harvest volume & income

• Chemical control of understory vegetation necessary

All Age Management

• Seldom used for pines, primarily used for hardwoods

• Selecting small groups of trees to cut leaving holes in stand

• Disadvantage-hard to get loggers to do for pines

• Chemical control of understory is necessary

Artificial Regeneration Methods

•Planting seedlings•Direct seeding

Artificial RegenerationAdvantages

• Control spacing and stocking• Use of genetically improved

seedlings• Disease resistant seedlings• Allows for change in species

Artificial RegenerationDisadvantages

• Increased cost due to intensive site preparation

• Increased cost for seedlings• Labor intensive

Site and Species Selection

•Determined by geographic region

•Determined by soil type

•Determined by product goals of the producer

Geographic Regions of Georgia

• Mountains

• Piedmont

• Coastal Plain

• Bleckley county is in the lower piedmont and upper coastal plain

Soil Types

• Poorly drained-wet low areas

• Moderately drained-adequate moisture levels

• Dry-coarse sandy soils with little moisture holding capacity

Species Selection

Geographic Region

Poorly Drained Sites

Moderately Drained Sites

Dry Sites

Mountains No species White PineShortleaf Pine

Virginia PineShortleaf Pine

Piedmont Loblolly Pine

Loblolly Pine

Loblolly PineShortleaf PineSand Pine

Coastal Plain

Loblolly PineSlash Pine on beds

Slash PineLoblolly Pine

Longleaf Pine Sand Pine

Species Grown in Bleckley County

• Loblolly Pine

• Longleaf Pine

• Slash Pine

• Loblolly is the most widely planted pine species in the state.

Other Species in Bleckley County

• Virginia Pine

• Eastern White Pine

• Spruce Pine

• Shortleaf Pine

Popular Pine Species In Georgia

• Loblolly Pine

• Slash Pine

• Shortleaf Pine

• Longleaf Pine

Harvest Products

• Posts• Pulpwood• Whole Tree Chips• Chip-n-saw• Sawtimber• Poles

Terms

• Site-a term commonly used by foresters to classify specific forest land

• Site Quality-indicates the productive capacity of a specific area of forest land for a particular species

Site Index

• A method of determining forest site quality based on the average total height attained by dominant trees at certain ages

Planning to Plant

Two main things to consider:1. How many acres are you going to plant?

2. What species will you use?

Most pine plantations are established with 600-700 seedlings per acre.

• Federal assistance programs require at least 600 well planted seedlings per acre.

Spacing Factors to Consider

• Species• Government cost share programs• Soil type• Machine or hand plant• Owner objective• Labor supply• Seedling source• Cost

Calculating Trees Per Acre

To determine, multiply your spacing in feet and divide the product into the number of square feet in an acre.

Example:6 x 12 = 7243,560 square feet

divided by 72 = 605 seedlings/acre

Allowances

To be on the safe side to make sure you have enough seedlings, add 10% allowance for cull seedlings that are too large or small. With the 10% added, round up to the nearest 1000 seedlings.

Planting Season

In Georgia, the season runs from the early November to the middle of March with the optimum planting period being from December to mid-February.

Hardening-Off

Seedlings should be hardened-off prior to planting, this is the process where the seedlings become acclimated to colder temperatures by reaching a stage of dormancy where active growth is temporarily suspended.

Seedling Evaluation

• Seedlings should be inspected at time of pick up and during planting to determine their overall condition.

Indicators of Seedling Deterioration

• Sour smell-fermentation

• Yellow needles

• Trees warm to touch

Indicators of Dead Seedlings

• Bark, especially roots, slips off easily

• Cambium layer has turned brown

• Trees hot to touch

• Mold developing

Transportation of Seedlings

• Covered with a light colored tarp• Do not transport seedlings in truck

beds containing fertilizer, chemical or fuel residues.

• Do not stack over 2 bags/bales deep unless spacers are used to provide air circulation

• Spacers should provide 2-4” of air space

• At least 12” of space between the top bag/bale and the tarp

• Do not park in direct sunlight• Unload seedlings immediately upon

arrival at destination• Inspect and repair torn bag/bales

immediately

Planting Temperatures

• Best range for planting is 33-75 degrees

• Marginal range is 76-85 degrees

• Critical range is 32 degrees or less and above 85

• DO NOT PLANT IF TEMPS ARE IN CRITICAL RANGE!

Seedling Storage

Moss Packaged seedlings-Can be stored for up to 2 weeks

-Must be watered every day or two to keep seedlings in good condition

Seedling Storage

Clay dipped seedlings-Can be stored in cool, well ventilated place for 3 weeks-Should not be watered-Should not be exposed to hot sun-Seem to be able to stand drought periods better than other seedlings

Seedling Storage

Packaged in sealed bags-May be kept up to 2 weeks if stored in shade and protected from sun, rain & cold

Procedures to Maintain Seedling Quality

• Protect from direct sun, high or freezing temps

• Provide cool, shaded conditions when transporting

• Avoid exposing to wind to prevent drying out

• Do not stack without providing ventilation

• At temps of 40-50 degrees for several days seedling vigor is reduced

• Let frozen seedlings completely thaw before planting; Longleaf seedlings are likely to be killed if frozen

• Carry only as many seedlings to the field as you can plant in one day

Relative Humidity

• Best for planting is 50% or above

• Marginal is between 30-50%

• When below 30%, planting should not be done

Cold Storage

• Refrigerated coolers used for seedling storage should be kept between 33-38 degrees

Wind

• Best for planting is less than 10 mph

• Marginal is between 10-15 mph

• If wind speed is above 15 mph it is not recommended to plant

Field Capacity

• The amount of water a soil can hold.

• 75% field capacity is the best

• 50-75% is marginal

• Less than 50% is critical and you should not plant.

Methods of Transplanting

• Hand planting-using a dibble or hoedad to plant seedlings

• Mechanical planting-using a tractor and planter to plant seedlings

Hand Planting

• A good crew can average 1000 seedlings per man day.

• Dibble bars should be at least 4” wide and 8-10” long

• Seedlings should be carried in bags or buckets and kept moist

• DO NOT CARRY SEEDLINGS IN HAND WHILE PLANTING

Machine Planting

• Under normal conditions a machine planting crew can plant from 8000 to 10,000 seedlings per day

• Drawbar hook-up should be no more than 14” from ground line

• Travel speed should be no faster than 2-2 ½ mph

Planting Depth

• Bare root seedlings should be planted with the root collar 1-3” below the soil line

• Containerized seedlings should be planted with 1-1 ½” of the plug exposed above the soil surface

Site Preparation

The two most important factors influencing seedling survival are:

1-Soil type

2-Amount & type of natural vegetation present

Old Fields

• Subsoiling can be beneficial in old fields with hard pans

• It is recommended that subsoiling be done 60-90 days prior to planting

Heavy Sod & Weeds

• Two types of site prep for these are recommended

• Scalping-just shallow enough to remove vegetation and main mass of roots

• Chemical applications-3-5’ band over each intended row to kill existing vegetation