Best Practices

Three important planting tips for your ArborGen seedlings.

A few weeks back, I accompanied a former student of mine, now a professional forester, to a planting site on his company land to inspect seedling and planting quality. As we arrived on the tract that had been site prepared for its new forest, I noticed something that deeply concerned me. One of the planters had separated himself from the rest of the crew and filled his planting bag for another run. He was down on both knees with his Hoedad planting tool firmly secured between them.

When possible, be on-site while seedlings are being planted to avoid these common, devastating mistakes.

This log will allow the contractor to document the details of the seedlings at delivery, including the condition of the seedlings, seedling type, and packaging. Along with the initial inspection, the planter will be able to keep track of the date of planting, weather conditions as well as planting tool used. All of this information can be recorded and readily accessible in the event of any questions after planting is complete.

Open-pollinated (OP) or MCP®? Should I plant all OP, all MCP or some of both? What will it cost and what will be my return? Try out our Seedling Revenue Comparison Tool and see for yourself!

Planting season is here, and with that, it is essential to store seedlings properly for best results. Watch this informative video from Jeff Smith of Scotch Land Management & Plywood and Paul Jeffreys, Ph.D. Reforestation Advisor.

Your contract tree planters are out in the field, set their own schedules and work on multiple projects at once. Make sure your job is their top priority and you get the best service possible. The best way to do that is to Be There. Be Aware.

Landowners looking for the most cost-efficient and effective ways to maximize the value of their pine seedling investments need to stay up to date on “best practices” in silviculture and land management. A body of research has shown that our best pine growth is with earlier site prep (starting in about mid June) rather than the current late season practice. Not only do we get better growth response in June, but there are also other benefits from earlier site prep, including:

Investment in high-quality genetics has proven to result in increased profits, but it doesn’t happen without your help. Like any high-quality product, special treatment is required to realize the maximum potential. Find out the top 10 most critical things to do in Year One. When you practice good silvicultural methods, you will reap the rewards of these best-quality genetics with superior growth and stem quality and, ultimately, better return on your investment. The goals for your seedlings in the first year are

Making an informed decision about how seedling performance is measured is critical for a customer to make the right decision for their new tree forest. ArborGen provides specific performance measurements and includes checklot information when reporting gains. Understanding the loblolly pine checklot system is a key factor in deciding on the best seedling for the optimal return on your investment. A seedling vendor should provide correct and relevant checklot information when reporting gains but if not, the customer should ask for it.