Site Prep and Planting
Planting trees is one of the most important jobs foresters do all over the world. In fact, for every one tree harvested, the forestry industry typically plants multiple trees in its place. That ensures there are always forests, and the wood supply never runs out.
Most trees are planted with a human touch to ensure they are placed in just the right spot, at just the right depth:
Site Prep and Planting
On steep slopes, trees are planted completely by hand. Planters walk in a row, choosing each spot where a tree will be planted. They use a narrow dibble shovel to quickly dig a hole and put the seedling in place. These hand-planted trees grow among the slash, or woody debris, left behind from the last forest to keep soils stable and prevent erosion. The tree pieces, such as small branches, will slowly break down over time, acting as a slow release fertilizer to nourish the new forest.
Site Prep and Planting
Trees that are “machine planted” are actually hand-placed in the ground, too, by a planter who rides in the back of a wheel tractor. The tractor makes a hole in the middle of a row, the planter places the seedling in the hole, and then an angled wheel mechanism closes the dirt back in over the seedling’s roots.
As you may have seen in the site prep video, trees in flat, low-lying areas are often planted in raised rows to ensure they won’t drown on the watery ground.
Watch how a forest in the Southeast and a forest in the Pacific Northwest are planted in the video below. How are these planting methods similar? How are they different?
Applying What You've Learned
Why are trees planted in the coolest months of the year rather than the summertime?
Site Prep and Planting
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Learn more about Site Prep & Planting along with what comes next in the Forestry Lifecycle: