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F W C L A N D O W N E R A S S I S T A N C E P R O G R A M

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Rules of Thumb for Best Results

Plant early in the season; trees

planted before Christmas tend to have

higher growth and survival rates than those

planted later. You may plant as early as

October if conditions are right. Some natu-

ral resource managers are beginning to

experiment with late summer planting and

have good results too!

Do not plant in dry or frozen soils.

Make sure the root zone (upper 6 inches

soils) has adequate moisture.

High winds (> 15 mph) and low humid-

ity (< 30%) conditions may dry out exposed

seedlings potentially leading to high mortal-

ity rates if not cautious.

Ideal planting conditions include tem-

peratures between 33° - 75° with a rela-

tive humidity above 30% with winds less

than 10 mph.

Plant seedlings as soon as possible

after delivery. Containerized seedlings may

be stored for a couple of days but the

sooner they are planted after lifting (from

nursery trays) the better.

Be sure to protect seedlings from

freezing, excessive heat and sun, and from

wind during transport and storage. Driving

long distances with boxes in the rear of a

pickup is not recommended. If necessary,

take precautions and completely cover

boxes with a tarpaulin.

Order seedlings ASAP. Interest in restoring

longleaf pine ecosystems is at an all time

high and the supply of containerized long-

leaf pines has increased in recent years.

However, longleaf seedling supply may not

be sufficient to meet the demand in coming

years. Therefore it is imperative to place

your orders as soon as possible. It is rec-

ommended you place orders at least 8

months in advance with 12 months being

preferred. Customers who wait until mid-

summer to place an order may find them-

selves out of luck. For a comprehensive list

of longleaf nurseries, call the Longleaf

Alliance at 334.427.1029 and ask for a

complimentary copy of the Longleaf Nurs-

ery List or contact your local Division of

Forestry office.

Seedling Selection. Most seedling sources

are from the Coastal Plain of lower Ala-

bama, Panhandle Florida and southern

Georgia. These sources are appropriate for

Northern Florida and South Georgia. If

planting in northern Alabama or Georgia be

sure to use an appropriate “montane” or

“mountain” longleaf seed sources. Again

refer to the Longleaf Nursery List for more

information.

Maintain Oversight of Planting Operation.

You or your representative should be on

site with the planting crew to ensure the

process meets your quality standards. It is

also very important to

Some landowners prefer to hire a forestry

consultant to manage and or hire a contrac-

tor for the planting job. When hiring a con-

tractor or consultant be sure to ask about

Timing

Order seedlings

10 - 12 months in

advance of plant-

ing.

Weather

Make sure the

weather is appro-

priate for

planting.

Competition Be

sure to control

competing

vegetation for 12

— 18 months

after planting.

Planting Depth is

critical to suc-

cessful establish-

ment.

Seedling Quality

is very important.

Planting date

preferably late

October to before

Christmas.

Many cost-

sharing

Programs are

available to help

with establishing

longleaf. Please

check with FWC

& DOF for more

information.

P L A N T I N G C O N T A I N E R I Z E D L O N G L E A F P I N E

T H E P I N E T H A T B U I L T T H E S O U T H & T H E F O R E S T T H A T F I R E B U I L T

his/her experience with longleaf pine. Some

foresters are knowledgeable about longleaf and

champion its restoration while others may not

be knowledgeable or prefer off-site pine species

such as loblolly, slash or sand pine. Contact

the Longleaf Alliance or your local Division of

Forestry office for a list of professionals.

Choosing a Tree Planting Contractor. This is

one of the most important decisions you can

make. Many planting failures can be traced to

improper seedling handling and planting proce-

dures by planting crews. Be sure to choose a

contractor with proven experience in planting

longleaf. Ask for references. Making a decision

based on a cost per tree/acre is not recom-

mended. Paying a few dollars more per acre for

a reliable and reputable contractor could make

the difference between a successful planting or

having to re-order and replant next year. Make

sure the contractor has experience with plant-

ing containerized longleaf. Many professionals

may have experience only with bareroot seed-

lings.

Be sure your contractor understands your goals.

If you are contractually mandated to plant a

certain density (e.g. 400 trees a acre) in a cost

sharing program such as CRP or WHIP , it is

important that the crew and on site supervisor

know this. If not, crews may do you a “favor”

and plant between rows resulting in stands

which exceed the contract requirements

thereby jeopardizing your cost-share funding.

Be sure to discuss spacing (6 x 8, 8 x 10, 8 x

12). Often migrant crews will plant trees a bit

closer than the recommended distance there-

fore it is sometimes necessary to artificially

inflate the distance between seedlings (4 steps

instead of 3, 3 steps instead of 2). These crews

work incredibly fast and sometimes need super-

vision. Be sure to discuss in advance areas in

which you do not want planting to occur (food

plots, fire breaks, roads, wet prairies).

Hand Planting Tools. Be sure to use the appro-

priate tool for planting job. Containerized seed-

lings and bareroot seedlings require very differ-

ent tools and it is important to match the cor-

rect tool for the job to ensure proper root forma-

tion, better survival and growth. The Longleaf

Alliance and your local forestry office can pro-

vide assistance.

Planting Technique. It is critically important to

make sure the terminal bud of containerized

longleaf pines are planted at least ½” to 1”

above the soil. This helps to ensure that the

bud does not become trapped below the sur-

face of the soil which can lead to mortality or

prolonged periods of time in the grass stage. It

is also very important to ensure good compac-

tion occurs around the seedling to ensure that

air pockets around seedling roots are elimi-

nated. Focus on anticipated position/depth of

the terminal bud 6 months to 1 year post plant-

ing. On level planting, instruct tree planters

office, County Extension Agent, or

theLongleaf Alliance.

Scalping- Conversion of agricultural

fields to tree plantations requires

minimizing direct competition with

aggressive pasture grass. This can

be achieved by scalping or removal

of the sod layer using a special

implement on the tractor. After scalping, plant the tublings position-

ing the terminal bud ~ 2” above the

soil surface leaving the plug 1—1.5”

exposed. Do not plant directly in the

rip as discussed earlier.

To Rip or Not to Rip. Many agricul-

tural fields and pastures have a hard, restrictive layer of soil often

referred to as a hardpan. In many

cases, “ripping” or “sub-soiling” will

fracture the hardpan resulting in

better planting conditions. Seedling

root growth will improve as well as

delivery of water to root systems. Ripping should be done several

months prior to planting as several

rain events will be needed to help

eliminate air pockets which will dry

out roots and can lead to seedling

that you want to see the plug. On

scalped sites, instruct tree planters

to leave 1 to 1 1/2 inches of the

plug exposed. On extremely wet

sites, leave 3 to 4 inches of the plug

exposed (use a 6 inch plug). Note if

the site hold water for several weeks

at a time, mortality may be very high.

Periods of inundation for a week

should be okay.

Planting longleaf over pasture

grasses. It is absolutely critical to kill Bermuda or bahia prior to plant-

ing seedlings. These grasses are

aggressive and if not properly con-

trolled before hand, control options

will be severely restricted. For best

survival in pastures, broadcast spray

grasses in August prior to planting with one of the following A) 5-6 quart

of Accord/ acre or B) 3 quart Ac-

cord® & 2 oz. Oust or C) 16-24oz

Arsenal®/acre. Other herbicides

labeled for grass control may be

considered. As an additional step,

scalping sites just prior to planting has increased survival. For informa-

tion on herbicide applications, con-

tact your local Division of Forestry

mortality. Be sure to rip along the contour of the land to avoid unnec-

essary erosion. Seedlings should be

planted about 6” to the side of the

rip. Do not plant directly in the rip

because the rip creates a channel

which allows water to bury seedling

and expose roots. The taproot of the

longleaf will find the rip and pene-trate deeper into the soil thereby

minimizing the chance of wind-throw

and increasing availability of water

to the tree.

WHY LONGLEAF? ECOLOGY

Native species: Well-managed

longleaf pine forests provide quality wildlife habitats and promote a

diverse ecosystem. Rarity: Over the

past two centuries, longleaf forests

have declined from one of the larg-

est forest types in North America to

one of the most rare. Site Adapta-

tions: Inhabits a variety of sties, from excessively drained sands to

poorly drained clays. Aesthetics:

Mature park-like stands are visually

appealing.

ECONOMICS

Timber Products: Produces straight,

dense, rot resistant wood, and the

highest percentage of poles of all

southern pines. Non-timber: Long-

leaf pine straw (needles) typically

commands a price premium. Like-

wise, entrepreneurs have discovered

unique markets for longleaf pine, from mitigation banks to carbon

storage credits. Management of

longleaf pine usually creates the

habitat of desired game species

(such as bobwhite quail) and hunt-

ing leases can be positively im-

pacted. Investment Security: Insur-ance against catastrophic loss. A

diversity of both timber and non-

timber products adds protection

against market volatility. Likewise,

longleaf inherently reduces the risk

of catastrophic loss due to insect,

disease, drought, fire and wind. CommoSense: Experience and

intuition suggest that natural for-

ests, like longleaf, are worth more in

the market than the value of the

bare land plus the value of the tim-

ber alone.

For more information on planting longleaf

visit these sites:

www.myfwc.com

www.longleafalliance.org

www.fl-dof.com

Contact a Private Lands Biologist

FWC Regional Offices

Northwest Region

Panama City 850-265-3676

North Central Region

Lake City 386-758-0525

Northeast Region

Ocala 352-732-1225

Southwest Region

Lakeland 863-625-5122

South Region

West Palm Beach 561-625-5122