Planting Learning Objectives - FRST...
Transcript of Planting Learning Objectives - FRST...
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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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.: