![[photo] Planted red pine seedlings in 8'x8' spacing.](../img/planted_tn.jpg) |
Planted red pine seedlings in 8'x8' spacing. (A. Ek) |
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![[photo] Planting stock](../img/Planting_stock.jpg) |
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Planting
stock |
Planting
of bare
root
red pine
or containerized
seedlings
should
be done
in the
spring.
Plant
trees
at the
same
depth
as
they
grew in
the nursery.
On drier
sites,
planting
slightly
deeper
may be
beneficial,
but planting
too deep
increases
risk
of injury
by root
collar
weevils.
Larger
bare
root seedlings
or transplant
stock
should
be used
on more
difficult
sites,
or when
higher
probability
of establishment
success
(but
greater
cost)
is desired.
The cost of producing containerized seedlings has been reduced in recent years and their usage has expanded. The use of containerized seedlings can extend the planting season into early summer. Containerized seedlings are also preferred on sites having shallow soils.
Spacing recommendations depend on many factors, including planting conditions, management objectives, and the desired final product. Planting 400 trees per acre (slightly more than a 10- by 10-foot spacing) will be less costly, crop trees will have rapid diameter growth, commercial thinnings can be made by the time trees need more growing space, and crown closure will not shade out ground vegetation for about 20 years. Planting 800 trees per acre (a little less than 8- by 8-foot spacing) will allow greater flexibility in selecting crop trees and controlling early stand development, crop trees will have less taper and smaller branches, and the stand will have more total volume in smaller diameter trees.
![[graphic] Planting depth](../../../img/silv/plantingdepth.jpg)
Figure
1. Proper
planting
depth.
![[graphic] How to plant a seedling illustration](../../../img/silv/planting.jpg)
Figure
2. How
to plant
a seedling.
The
time
to reach
pole
size (5
inches
diameter)
will
vary from
15 to
30 or
more
years
depending
on spacing
and to
a lesser
extent
on site
quality.
Closer
spacings
will
require
precommercial
thinning
during
the sapling
stage
(2-5
inches
average
diameter)
to provide
a recommended
50 square
feet
of growing
space
for each
crop
tree,
and the
wider
spacings
may need
an extra
release
or two
to control
grass,
shrub,
and hardwood
competition.
Trees should be planted at spacings of up to 10- by 10-feet if all or most of the planted trees have a good chance of surviving, precommercial thinnings are not likely, and favoring ground layer plant communities is an objective. Most production-oriented plantations are established at spacings of 6- by 8-feet and 6- by 10 feet. Machine planting costs can be reduced by using wider rows and closer spacing of trees in a row, but plans for access and future management operations must also be considered at the time of stand establishment.
Patterns
other
than
typical
uniformly
spaced,
row plantings
should
be considered
for some
extensive
management
and restoration
applications.
While
planting
remains
a cost
effective
way of
ensuring
adequate
red pine
regeneration,
some
objectives
require
planted
stands
to look
less
like plantations
and more
like
stands
of natural
origin.
Variable
row
widths
and
spacings,
or spiral
planting
schemes
can
be
considered.
Planting
schemes
can
also
be designed
to accommodate
future
thinnings
and
harvest.
For
example,
a rectangular
8 ft
by 12
ft spacing
would
facilitate
the
use
of modern
harvesting
equipment.
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![[photo] Example of a J-root](../img/jroot_tn.jpg) |
J-root.
(S.
Katovich) |
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Planting
and
Pests
- Poorly
planted
seedlings
often
develop
deformed
root
systems
known
as
J-roots.
These
root
systems
can
sustain
trees
during
normal
or
wet
years
but
they
often
fail
during
drought
years
or
under
heavy
competition.
Drought
and
competition
stress
makes
trees
susceptible
to
pests
such
as root
collar
weevil,
diplodia and
armillaria.
Proper
planting
is
a
key
initial
step
in
minimizing
pest
impact.