Establishment of forests in most cases begins with seedlings and the success of any forest depends on how well the seedlings have been planted and managed.
Forests and woodlands have many benefits ie they help clean the air we breath, the water we drink, provide homes for wild life and help reduce erosion. They also provide us with places for recreation and sanctuary. Economically, forests are a source of income through production of wood and timber.
Establishing forest
Establishing of a forest involves planting hundreds of seedlings over a large piece of land. Planting requires tools like planting shovel, plug planter that is exclusively used for planting containerized trees, a hoe and a dibble bar.
There are two types of seedlings that can be planted. These can either be the bare root seedlings or containerized seedlings. The type of planting for both is the same but what varies is the depth of planting.
For the bare root seedling, you plant up to the root collar which is a slight swelling above the roots but below the leaves. When you receive a seedling with a container covering the roots, remove the containers before planting.
After receiving the seedling, first inspect the seedling for any defects.
Dibble bar planting
Make an insertion of the dibble bar into the ground and pull back the dibble bar making a V- hole into the ground. Insert the seedling and then cover the hole and use your foot to hill soil to the collar region of the seedling.
To plant a bare root seedling, use a dibble bar to make an insertion and insert the seedling up to the collar region and then cover up.
