This page has been set up to share photos & video relating to the "Basic Silviculture" chapter of "Step By Step, A Tree Planter's Handbook." Visit www.replant.ca/books to see books about tree planting.
Here is a good looking freshly planted seedling. This is a Yellow Cedar tree. Most first-year planters will never see this species, as it is typically only planted at high elevations on the BC coast or in the southern Interior of BC.
Silviculture is the art and science of managing the establishment, growth, composition, healthy, and quality of a forest to meet the needs of landowners, the public, and other stakeholders in a sustainable manner.
The bark is the outer layer of the tree.
The trunk is the main supporting structure of the tree.
The roots of a tree absorb nutrients, which are then transported upward into the parts of the tree which are above the ground.
Needles are the leaves found on most coniferous trees.
Laterals are the branches on young seedlings.
The cones of a coniferous tree hold the seeds of the tree.
Here we can see the parts of a cone.
The root collar is the lowest part of the stem of a seedling, from the top of the plug (or bareroots) to the beginning of the needles or lowest laterals.
The crown of a tree is the top of the tree.
Clay is a type of soil composed of the very finest (smallest) particles. For this reason, it packs together closely, and moisture does not escape easily. It often cracks when it dries.
Silt is a type of soil which also has a fairly fine texture, although not as fine as clay.
Sand is a fairly coarse type of soil. Moisture drains out of sand fairly quickly and easily because there is a lot of space between the grains of sand, even though that may not be too obvious from a visual inspection. Sand is very easy to plant in.
Mineral soil is a mix of sand, rocks, and gravel of varying sizes and consistencies.
Duff is the term that refers to the organic layers on the ground surface. Many planters tend to associate "duff" with the dry layers at the top, ie. the litter layer and the fermenting layer.
Here is some loam, a mix of mineral and organics.
There are many different types of ecosystems around the world, and many different types of trees and plants thrive in them.
The FPPR is the Forest Practices and Planning Regulation, which is part of the Forest and Range Practices Act.
The Forest and Range Practices Act (the FRPA) is a piece of BC legislation which determines in great part how reforestation activities are to take place within that province.
It is important to handle seedlings carefully, to minimize any potential mortality. Baby trees are especially susceptible to damage, just like baby humans. You don't want to throw boxes of babies around, or treat them roughly. There is an entire chapter in "Step By Step" which is devoted to proper stockhandling practices.
These trees were grown in a forest nursery between March and June, and then "hot lifted" into their shipping cartons. The trees from this hot lift are usually delivered standing upright in the boxes, and don't have bag liners in the boxes. Hot lifted seedlings are fully awake and growing. The trees grown later in the summer and early fall will be bundled and put into boxes with bag liners, laying down on their sides, and frozen over the winter. The over-wintered stock is dormant, until the boxes are thawed out just before planters get them in the spring.
Here is a box with a bag-liner. The bag liners can be paper or plastic. Because there is a bag liner, and the bundles are laid on their sides, this box is probably over-wintered stock that had to be thawed before planting.
Here is a box without a bag-liner. Because there is no bag liner, and the bundles are standing up, this box is probably fresh hot-lifted stock being planted in the summer or fall.
Mycorriza are "good" fungi which are found on the roots of trees.
Here is a nice-looking coastal clearcut on the left, with a fairly young plantation at the base of the slope.
Plants need water, light energy, and carbon dioxide in order to grow.
Photosynthesis is a process by which water, carbon dioxide, and sunlight (energy) are converted into sugars within a plant, simultaneously releasing oxygen.
A sapling is a young tree.
To screef is to prepare a suitable microsite for a seedling, clearing away any immediate grass or other competing vegetation.
Shade is good for some species, but not good for others. Foresters often think about the "shade tolerance" of various species when writing up a prescription for a block.
Balsam Fir, Cedar, and Hemlock are all species which are quite shade-tolerant. They will continue to thrive even when other species are blocking direct sunlight.
Douglas Fir and Spruce are both fairly shade tolerant species.
Pine, Birch, and Aspen are three species which are not very shade tolerant. They prefer to grow in open spaces with direct sunlight.
Snowpress can really damage some plants.
This is what is known as a the remnants of a squirrel burrow. There was probably a tree here before, where a squirrel stored hundred of conifer cones (to eat the seeds during the winter). As the squirrel tears the cones apart to get at the seeds, the husks fall down to the ground. These dry organic materials are not a great place to plant a tree, as the plug will probably dry up and the tree will die.
Occasionally, a delivery of spring trees will still have frozen bundles, that haven't thawed out properly since the overwintering process. This bundle almost looks like it is held together by a bundle wrapper, but if you look closely, the wrapper has been removed and you can see the ice in the plugs.
Here is a BC coastal block in the spring. Spring blocks are generally flatter than fall blocks, because they are planted in February and March, and need to be at very low elevations down near the waterline, in order to be below the snow line. The weather on the spring coast is typically quite miserable, with constant rain and wind for weeks at a time. Most planters need at least five years of previous planting experience in BC before being considered for jobs on the coast. Some people mistakenly think that coastal planting is the best planting available, with the best prices. Remember that high prices do not necessarily translate to high earnings. Coastal planting is incredibly challenging, and the blocks are much more difficult than the blocks that first-year planters will see anywhere else in the country.
Here is Simon, a well-known coastal planter. A little bit of snow doesn't bother Simon.
Here's a fall BC coastal block. The fall coastal blocks are generally steeper than the spring blocks. Coastal planting is extremely difficult work, especially since the slash load left behind on most coastal blocks is orders of magnitude greater than the slash on BC Interior blocks, or Ontario blocks. Step By Step now has a full chapter devoted to coastal planting.
Click here to see a page listing books related to reforestation in Canada. If you received a photocopied version of this book from your planting company, or you're a trainer at a Canadian planting company, click on this link for more information.
