The creation of a thousand forests is in one acorn.
- Ralph Waldo Emerson

A grove, a thicket, a forest of trees. Wandering around your own forest is a remarkably relaxing and satisfying experience. Wooded areas have always held a special fascination for folks who enjoy the outdoors. Many people see a forest as something they either have or they don't. They don't realize that backyard forestry is neither a difficult nor expensive activity, especially when the results are so worthwhile. If you only want to plant a few trees around your house or yard, consult the second half of this feature: Saplings and transplants. On the other hand if you want to plant dozens or even hundreds or thousands of seedlings, keep reading. We'll discuss how to obtain and transport seedlings, how to plant and finally how to care for them as they grow. You can decide how you want to enjoy your new forest.

The Birth of a Tree
A seedling is a baby tree, perhaps one or two years old, that was grown in a nursery or tree farm from seeds. It is normally between 4 and 8 inches tall and is generally sold with bare roots, although containerized seedlings are available. Seedlings are best planted over a wide area, like a field, pasture or lightly wooded area. Contact your state forestry department or local soil and water conservation district to about where to obtain seedlings: many government agencies grow their own seedlings and may distribute a number of them for free. Other areas offer tax credits for the planting of trees. These departments will also point you towards nurseries near you that produce seedlings. A word of advice: because planting seedlings is so popular, seedlings often sell out before the end of a planting season. Buy or reserve your seedling early - up to a year before you plan to plant is recommended.

When ordering from a faraway nursery or online, you may have your seedlings shipped to you. Otherwise, go down to your local nursery and pick them up. It is critical to keep seedlings moist during storing and transport - if they dry out, they will die. Handle seedlings gently, don't expose them to direct sunlight or to excessive heat or cold. It is also important to minimize storage time. You'll want to plant your bare-root seedlings as soon as you can after you get them, ideally the same day. Containerized seedlings offer a bit more flexibility, but proper care should still be exercised. You can store containerized seedlings in a cool (less than 50 degrees F) and dark area for up to three weeks, but the best place for seedlings is planted in the ground. The best way to store seedlings for more than two days is to dig a trench and temporarily plant them. Cover the roots loosely with earth and re-fill the trench. Keep the soil moist until you're ready to move the seedlings, and be very gentle when removing them. Young trees have an uphill battle for survival in the wild; give them the very best care prior to planting.

Planting: When, Where and How
The best time to plant is during the colder months when trees are dormant. Although the part of the tree above the soil can deal with cooler temperatures, the roots will die if they freeze. Your forestry department or nursery will tell you the best time to plant the trees you have selected in your area. If possible, plant on a cool and calm day, as bright sunlight and wind will damage exposed roots. The best way to prepare the trees for planting is to coat the roots in hydrating polymer slurry. This slurry is made from synthetic polyacrilate/polyacrilimide crystals, water and soil and helps the roots stay hydrated (even after planting).

To plant a seedling, clear the area you wish to plant from any potentially competing plants (such as grass and weeds) and, if possible, break up the ground with a motorized tiller or hand tools. Dig a round hole about twelve inches in diameter and deep enough to accommodate the type of seedling you're planting. Examine the seedling to determine this. You'll see a band where the roots meet the trunk. This is called the root collar and it is as deep as the seedling was planted in the nursery. Put a small pile of soil in the bottom of the hole so that the roots can grow apart from each other and support the seedling. Spread a handful or two of soil and polymer over the roots and gently tamp the earth in place. The idea is to secure the seedling without suffocating the roots. Then fill the hole the rest of the way and tamp the soil down again. The process for planting containerized seedling is even easier, bury the root plug of the seedling about 1/2 an inch and tamp the surrounding soil around the seedling. Again, be sure not to pack the soil, just tamp it lightly. Mulch the seedling with polypropylene weed barrier or three to four inches of wood chips but keep the mulch away from the trunk of the seedling. Water each seedling after planting.

Extended maintenance
When planting in an isolated area it isn't always practical to regularly check on the seedlings you have planted. If the seedlings were planted in a more accessible area there are many things you can do after planting to facilitate the growth of healthy trees. If planted in the winter months, water the seedlings monthly once the ground thaws (depending on local rainfall). In most of the United States this monthly watering can be discontinued after the end of August. When you water, inspect for weeds, animal/insect damage and other environmental factors that could hurt the seedlings. Add more mulch or fabric weed barrier to combat weeds or insects and build physical barriers to prevent animal damage or to shade the trees and protect them from wind. Insecticides can also be used to keep wood-eating bugs away.

Look for dead saplings when inspecting plants. No planting process offers a one hundred percent survival rate, 80 to 90 percent is very good. Even if only half your seedlings survive after a year identify why they died and replant. Proper care in the storage, transplant and planting of seedlings will dramatically increase the rate of seedling survival.

Large Scale Benefits
Last year, seedlings grown by nurseries added 3 million acres to the 750 million acres of forests in the United States. Some of this was commissioned by industry, but private landowners account for nearly half the seedlings planted every year. There's a worldwide payoff of private forestry efforts - new forests are believed to help keep global temperatures down and remove excess carbon from the atmosphere. The greatest value is to the landowner doing the planting, and not only from increased property values. There are many assets to planting, both tangible and intangible: cutting your own firewood, walking in your own woods, attracting wildlife to your property, enjoying the colors of fall from your dining room window. Perhaps the only thing more worthwhile than looking at a forest and knowing that you planted it is having future generations looking at a forest and saying, "my grandparents planted that!"

-InstantAcres.Com Staff