Planting Program

 

Following a harvest operation not all stands will regenerate naturally in a reasonable amount of time or with the desired species.  Planting, then, becomes a viable alternative for the woodlot owner.  Planting gives the land owner control over the species and the spacing of the final crop, two critical pieces governing the quality and quantity of the products harvested.  However, planting is not without its challenges.   Often it is not a simple matter of deciding to plant an area since some degree of site preparation may be required before planting and depending upon the plant species already established on the site, it may be obvious that competition control will be required later.  The woodlot owner must therefore, be willing to do all the things that are necessary to make a plantation a success or there is no point in starting - it will simply be a waste of time and money.  Every province has examples  covering  thousands of acres where plantations have not been cared for and today it would be next to impossible to find any of the trees that were planted.  Nature is very prolific and very efficient at getting ground cover established quickly after a stand is removed.  Usually the species Nature establishes are not the species we, the land managers want.  Therefore, we have to make a commitment to maintain the plantations before we make the decision to plant. 

 

 

Site Preparation

 

A technician will visit the site of the proposed planting project and determine if site preparation is necessary and discuss options with the owner.  There are several pieces of equipment available to the woodlot owner to choose from depending upon the condition of the site.  For example: heavy slash, deep duff layer, dense hardwood suckers, an old field with alder cover, poorly drained.  The equipment chosen will be different in each case.  Site preparation has two purposes; one is to make it possible for a person to walk the site and plant at the required spacing and two; to properly prepare the soil to receive a seedling so it will have an improved chance of survival by reducing frost heaving, competition and increasing access to nutrients. 

 

 

Tree Seedlings

 

The required species of seedlings are supplied through the Association by private nurseries for the planting program.  Most commonly these are container stock which can be planted with a special planting tool also supplied by The Association on a rental basis to the person who wants to do their own planting.  Contractors are available to plant the larger areas which are beyond the capability of the land owner.

 

 

Plantation Cleaning

 

Plantation cleaning is a very important component of managing your plantations wisely.  Many undesirable tree and shrub species grow within a plantation.  These species, such as hardwoods, produce suckers supported by a large, well established root system, which will rob the planted trees from important nutrients which are needed for growth, found in the soil.  Also, these species have rapid growth rates and begin to overtop the planted tree and compete for sunlight.  If a plantation is not cleaned when needed, the planted trees will die or stagnate for many years.  A plantation cleaning is applied under similar conditions as a natural stand when it is time for a pre-commercial thinning. Properly conducted, a plantation cleaning will help the crop trees produce superior growth rates compared to natural stands on the same site, giving the land manager a shorter rotation period which results in a greater return per acre per year.