Keys to Successfully Planting Longleaf Pine Bill Pickens 2004 Tree Planters Meeting Kinston, NC

Keys 1. Well-prepared, competition-free sites 2. Healthy, top-quality seedlings Bareroot or Container? Storage Length 3. Meticulous care and careful planting Proper Handling Planting Depth Plant Early 4. Proper post-planting care

“There is a strong, direct, and positive correlation between percent survival and initiation of height growth with intensity of site preparation” (NCFS Forestry Note No. 61, “Establishment and Growth of Longleaf Pine on Droughty Sites in North Carolina, May 1988”

Importance of Site Preparation “Longleaf... will grow best in the complete absence of all competition,... ” (“Silvics of North America”, Vol. 1, USDA, Forest Service, Ag. Handbook 654) “... it is imperative that adequate site prep be completed prior to tree planting...” (Don H. “Zippo” Robbins, 1996 memo to Technical Development Unit)

Keys 1. Well-prepared, competition-free sites 2. Healthy, top-quality seedlings Bareroot or Container? Storage Length 3. Meticulous care and careful planting Proper Handling Planting Depth Plant Early 4. Proper post-planting care

Top Quality Bareroot Longleaf Seedlings Fibrous root system with RCD >.4 inch Tap root > 6 inches 5 or more first order lateral roots Moist roots Healthy foliage

Top Quality Containerized Longleaf –Needle length must be at least 4” long –Plugs must be at least 5.5 cu.in. in volume and at least 4.5” deep (4.75”) –Root collar diameter <.20” –Cull “floppies”

Container or Bareroot 1995 Region-wide survey

Bareroot vs Container Texas study 1994, loamy sand, cutover –Container LL- 93% –Bareroot LL- 12%

Bareroot or Container? Success with either if proper care and planting techniques are applied. Machine planted bareroot better survival than hand planted bareroot

Sonderegger Pines

Sonderegger “Guidelines” Stem Elongation <1 1/2 inches difficult to recognize and have LL characteristics Count as cull on Quality Tree planting Inspections, but if tract scores 75-85% due to sonderegger cull - OK to Cost Share < 75% ARF OK required

Storage issues Bareroot - Length of storage critical! –Keep to a minimum –No more than 10 days Container - Storage not as critical –Keep to a minimum –2 weeks –Seedlings must be acclimated to colder weather (hardened-off)

Adapted from a study by White Effects of RCD and Storage on Bareroot Longleaf Survival

Study results ………..

Keys 1. Well-prepared, competition-free sites 2. Healthy, top-quality seedlings Bareroot or Container? Storage Length 3. Meticulous care and careful planting Proper Handling Planting Depth Plant Early 4. Proper post-planting care

Planting Depth Do not cover terminal bud Bareroot with bud at ground level Container - keep bud above ground, anticipate washing or erosion, error shallow rather than deep

DEEP 1” SHALLOW 1 1/2”

Planting Method Study Results:

NC Study results……….

Planting Method Study Results:

Longleaf Planting Techniques

Machine Planting

Planting Methods Hand Planting –Handle the seedlings carefully, protect them from the sun and wind. 2 minutes of root exposure in severe condition can kill trees.

Planting Method

Early Planting

Early Planting of Containerized Longleaf Pine RESULTS

Keys 1. Well-prepared, competition-free sites 2. Healthy, top-quality seedlings Bareroot or Container? Storage Length 3. Meticulous care and careful planting Proper Handling Planting Depth Plant Early 4. Proper post-planting care

Florida pusley

Texas panicum

Morning glory & Sicklepod

Ag Fields Problems Erratic survival for site treated with Oust or Velpar High pH > 6.5 increases the activity of OUST - Limit to 1 oz. per broadcast acre Soil OM at < 2% increases VELPAR activity- limit to 21 oz. per broadcast acre & OUSTAR to10 oz. (equal to 22oz of VELPAR and 1.5 oz. of OUST ) Do a SOIL TEST!!!

Keys 1. Well-prepared, competition-free sites 2. Healthy, top-quality seedlings Bareroot or Container? Storage Length 3. Meticulous care and careful planting Proper Handling Planting Depth Plant Early 4. Proper post-planting care