Lesson 6.02: Reforestation

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In this lesson, we will answer the following questions.

1. What are the advantages and disadvantages of natural and artificial regeneration?
2. What are the methods of artificial regeneration?

What are the advantages and disadvantages of natural and artificial regeneration?

The two major types of forest regeneration are "Natural Regeneration" and "Artificial Regeneration." We find both of these types of regeneration being used in the Southeastern United States.  We will look at natural regeneration first discussing how it can be accomplished and advantages and disadvantages of this method. The decision to use natural regeneration requires more advanced planning than artificial regeneration. However, regeneration costs can be much lower using this method.

The main advantages of natural regeneration are:

1. Low cost establishment
2. Less labor and equipment required
3. No problem with local seed origin
4. Good early root development
5. Less visual impact compared to clear cut
6. Less soil erosion

Some of the disadvantages of natural regeneration are:

1. Less control of spacing and stocking
2. Generally lower yield
3. No genetic improvement
4. No disease resistant stock
5. Possible lag in regeneration due to drought or inadequate seed fall
6. May need pre-commercial thinning, (removal of trees that are to young to harvest) to obtain good growth

The landowner must consider cost and return to determine if natural regeneration is the way he wants to go in managing his land. If he does not have a good seed source it will be very hard to establish a good timber stand by natural regeneration. On the other hand if his pines are old enough (25 + years old) to have a good cone and seed capacity he/she can consider natural regeneration.

Describe the methods of artificial regeneration

Artificial regeneration can be accomplished two ways, by planting seedlings or direct seeding the area to be regenerated. The majority of the sites in the southeast are regenerated by planting.

Both of these methods require careful site evaluation to determine the appropriate species to plant or direct seed. You should be sure the seed for the seedlings or direct seeding are from an approved geographical source for your region. General artificial regeneration requires more intensive site preparation work. Most southern pine regeneration is accomplished by planting seedlings. The factors that make planting the most used method of regeneration are:

1. Control of spacing and stocking
2. Use of genetically improved seedlings
3. Disease resistant seedlings
4. Allows for change in species composition where desirable

Clearing Equipment

The following are some examples of equipment used to clear land for planting.

	Root Rake A root rake is used to move and pile up debris for site preparation
	Tree Crusher A tree crusher is a machine that has large drums instead of wheels, that chop up and crush everything that has been pushed to the ground.
	Crawler Tractor with a V-blade A crawler tractor with a v-blade is used to push debris aside to clear a path or to make room for planting seedlings.
	Planting Equipment Mechanical planting equipment is used to plant seedlings in the area that has been cleared.
	Herbicide Sprayer Machines spray herbicide to eliminate unwanted vegetation before planting seedlings.

Reforestation Tools

The following are some examples of tools used in artificial reforestation.

	Speedy Dibble A tool designed for fast and easy tree planting.
	Scalping Hoe A tool used to remove the top layer of vegetation and soil that may hinder the planting and survival of seedlings.
	Container Seedling Dibble A dibble with a hollow tip that allows for the removeal of a solid core from the ground
	Hoedad A hoe used for planting seedlings
Photos courtesy Forestry Suppliers, Inc. Used by permission. 580055.

Chainsaw Safety

When using a chainsaw to clear forest areas, it is important to follow safety guidelines. View the following chainsaw safety videos:

• Chainsaw Safety: Starting Your Saw
• Chainsaw Safety: Fueling Your Saw
• Chainsaw Safety: Debris

Reforestation after a tornado

Watch the Regenerating Your Woods after Tornado Damage presentation to learn about the reforestation methods used after a tornado has damaged a forest.