Site Prep and Planting

Site Prep

What’s the first order of business when you plant a garden? Preparing the ground! Gardeners remove the weeds, till the soil and sometimes add nutrients to the garden bed to ensure their plants will have a healthy start.

Foresters use site prep in the same way, especially in areas where there is a low water table and poorly-draining soil, which could otherwise drown fragile young seedlings. By preparing the site and plowing the soil into high mounds, the seedlings can stay high and dry.

Watch how the forest in the video below is prepared for planting. What are some of the benefits of plowing rows in this forest?

In mountainous areas, site preparation methods like the one above are not utilized. Name three reasons why this step is not used on steep slopes.

SITE PREP

WHY SOIL TYPE MATTERS

It may all seem the same, but soils can vary vastly from one forest to another. The make-up of the soil plays an important role in determining what species will grow best in a forest, depending on the type of nutrients it needs to thrive. Soil type also determines how a site should be prepared:

  • Left Photo: Dry, sandy soils tend to drain well, which means plowing the ground may not be necessary.
  • Right Photo: Wet, clay soils are more prone to flooding, which requires mounded rows to keep trees above the water table.

SITE PREP

WHAT IS CHEMICAL SITE PREP?

Young trees can be extremely tiny when they’re planted. In the Southeast, a typical Southern yellow pine seedling is just a few millimeters wide! To protect those trees as they become established, chemical site prep is sometimes used.

Herbicides: Similar to using a weed spray in gardening, chemical site prep involves using an herbicide to remove stronger weeds and invasive plants that could kill young trees. A single treatment before planting is enough to give the trees a great start in the forest.

Fertilizer: When the soil lacks a certain nutrient, fertilization is like giving a seedling its "vitamins." A treatment like this can make all the difference in giving the seedling a strong start, which will impact its health for decades to come!

Using Site Prep in Forestry

SITE PREP

site prep

Article: Site Prep Essential for Southeastern Forestry

KEEP EXPLORING FORESTRYCAREERS.COM

Learn more about Site Prep and Planting and what comes next in the Forestry Lifecycle:

HOME

TOPIC: SITE PREP & PLANTING

PLANTING

MANAGEMENT
Back To Top