1. REFORESTATION

2. Regeneration
Establishing or re-establishing the forest through natural or artificial means

3. Natural Regeneration Advantages
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

4. Natural Regeneration Disadvantages
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

5. Natural Regeneration Methods
Seed tree
Shelterwood
All age management

6. 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

7. 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

8. 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

9. Artificial Regeneration Methods
Planting seedlings
Direct seeding

10. Artificial Regeneration Advantages
Control spacing and stocking
Use of genetically improved seedlings
Disease resistant seedlings
Allows for change in species

11. Artificial Regeneration Disadvantages
Increased cost due to intensive site preparation
Increased cost for seedlings
Labor intensive

12. Site and Species Selection
Determined by geographic region
Determined by soil type
Determined by product goals of the producer

13. Geographic Regions of Georgia
Mountains
Piedmont
Coastal Plain
Bleckley county is in the lower piedmont and upper coastal plain

14. Soil Types Poorly drained-wet low areas
Moderately drained-adequate moisture levels
Dry-coarse sandy soils with little moisture holding capacity

15. Species Selection Geographic Region Poorly Drained Sites
Moderately Drained Sites
Dry
Sites
Mountains
No species
White Pine
Shortleaf Pine
Virginia Pine
Piedmont
Loblolly Pine
Sand Pine
Coastal Plain
Slash Pine on beds
Slash Pine
Longleaf Pine Sand Pine

16. Species Grown in Bleckley County
Loblolly Pine
Longleaf Pine
Slash Pine
Loblolly is the most widely planted pine species in the state.

17. Other Species in Bleckley County
Virginia Pine
Eastern White Pine
Spruce Pine
Shortleaf Pine

18. Popular Pine Species In Georgia
Loblolly Pine
Slash Pine
Shortleaf Pine
Longleaf Pine

19. Harvest Products Posts Pulpwood Whole Tree Chips Chip-n-saw Sawtimber
Poles

20. 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

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

22. Planning to Plant Two main things to consider:
1. How many acres are you going to plant?
2. What species will you use?

23. Most pine plantations are established with 600-700 seedlings per acre.
Federal assistance programs require at least 600 well planted seedlings per acre.

24. Spacing Factors to Consider
Species
Government cost share programs
Soil type
Machine or hand plant
Owner objective
Labor supply
Seedling source
Cost

25. 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 = 72
43,560 square feet
divided by 72 = 605 seedlings/acre

26. 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.

27. 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.

28. 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.

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

30. Indicators of Seedling Deterioration
Sour smell-fermentation
Yellow needles
Trees warm to touch

31. Indicators of Dead Seedlings
Bark, especially roots, slips off easily
Cambium layer has turned brown
Trees hot to touch
Mold developing

32. 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

33. 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

34. Planting Temperatures
Best range for planting is degrees
Marginal range is degrees
Critical range is 32 degrees or less and above 85
DO NOT PLANT IF TEMPS ARE IN CRITICAL RANGE!

35. 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

36. 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

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

38. 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

39. 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

40. Relative Humidity Best for planting is 50% or above
Marginal is between 30-50%
When below 30%, planting should not be done

41. Cold Storage
Refrigerated coolers used for seedling storage should be kept between degrees

42. Wind Best for planting is less than 10 mph
Marginal is between mph
If wind speed is above 15 mph it is not recommended to plant

43. 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.

44. Methods of Transplanting
Hand planting-using a dibble or hoedad to plant seedlings
Mechanical planting-using a tractor and planter to plant seedlings

45. 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

46. 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

47. 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

48. Site Preparation
The two most important factors influencing seedling survival are:
1-Soil type
2-Amount & type of natural vegetation present

49. Old Fields Subsoiling can be beneficial in old fields with hard pans
It is recommended that subsoiling be done days prior to planting

50. 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