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Author Topic: Tree Planting on a LARGE scale - advice please !  (Read 6263 times)

HappyHippy

  • Guest
Tree Planting on a LARGE scale - advice please !
« on: March 02, 2009, 12:14:13 pm »
Hi,
As part of a grant scheme that my Dad set up a few years ago we have to replant some of our trees that the rabbits and deer have chewed (or possibly the firm employed to do it didn't actually plant them - which looks the most likely  >:(), I say some, it's 16,000 to be exact  :o  ???  :o
We've tracked down a lovely gadget from Austrailia (although we'll try to source it in UK) called a Pottiputki - fantastic gadget that does away with the need to bend down  ;D So that's the actual planting sorted - but my question is this.

How do we mulch such a big area to keep weeds off ?

Given the size and location (in between existing trees and various other places) it's not going to be practical or cost effective to use membranes, plastic barrier type cover or bark chippings on the ground. My Dad's solution (agricultural & inventive as always) would be a layer of cardboard held down by an old tyre (yes, he's got someone who can get him 16000 old tyres apparently!) the theory being that when the trees are established enough he can lift the tyres off over the top. However, knowing my Dad the tyres will be there forever more and I don't fancy having to clear them before letting any livestock back into the fields after the trees are 'harvested'.
I'm at a loss for ideas, but unless I can come up with a cheap & easy alternative to steer him away from his current train of thought - I'm going to be stuck with a whole lot of rubber !
Thinking caps on please........................................... ???  ???  ???

MrRee

  • Joined Jan 2008
Re: Tree Planting on a LARGE scale - advice please !
« Reply #1 on: March 02, 2009, 01:08:36 pm »
I'm assuming each tree will be protected with a collar of some sort,so why not a flock of geese?
They don’t join cliques — more times than not, they stand alone — but they recognize and gravitate towards one another. Only warriors understand other warriors.

foresterswife

  • Joined Jul 2009
Re: Tree Planting on a LARGE scale - advice please !
« Reply #2 on: July 16, 2009, 02:46:05 pm »
Hi, did you ever manage to source pottiputki in the uk? My husband has two very old ones with not much life left in them and has a big contract coming up at the end of the year and the only place he can find them is in BC in Canada! Did you sort your mulching problem cause I could ask my husband his thoughts, he has years of experience in planting and establishment.

foresterswife

woodsman

  • Joined Dec 2008
Re: Tree Planting on a LARGE scale - advice please !
« Reply #3 on: July 22, 2009, 07:53:59 pm »
hi ,
i saw your post yesterday , and have been mulling it over .
i would say that you ought to firmly establish the cause of these 'losses' - 16,000 is a very large 'beat-up ' .
are we talking softwood or hardwood ?
steep , uncultivated land or improved grass ?
could you use the same weed control methods as have been used on the successfully established stock ?(and how old are they , and how many acres were originally planted -to the nearest 100)
   any which way , it may be prudent to engage the services of a consultant - the cost would only equate to a few % of the outlay on plant material and labour .
i am 100's of miles away ,otherwise i would gladly visit , and advise , for nowt - in the hope of getting some price-work ,-- other ,local contractors may feel likewise .

  and..... i imagine the 16,000 tyres business was just some sort of wind-up , and this grumpy old woodsman ain't taking the bait !
If it's too steep to plough , put sheep on it , if the sheep fall off , plant trees .

HappyHippy

  • Guest
Re: Tree Planting on a LARGE scale - advice please !
« Reply #4 on: July 22, 2009, 10:46:40 pm »
Hi Woodsman, thanks for your reply.
Can I start off saying that he REALLY was considering using tyres, but we've got him talked out of that ! The spot weed tratment prior to planting and mulch after has replaced all ideas of tyres and old carpets & cardboard - thank goodness  ;)
We've concluded that the majority of the 'losses' were never infact planted in the first place, the company which took on the planting are no longer in business, so it kind of speaks for itself really.
The total planting area was 130 acres originally, although as I've said there are areas which show no evidence that anything was ever planted there.
Of the original planting (mix of broadleaves & evergreen) it's the broadleaves which have suffered, it seems to have been deer/rabbit damage as there was a delay after planting before we established pest control !
We've had the man out from the forresty commision who's done a report as to what needs to be planted and where (hence the 16,000 trees figure!) so now it's just a case of getting on and planting them !
Thanks for your reply, if you're ever in this neck of the woods (so to speak  ;)) feel free to pop in for a coffee - I promise not to make you plant any trees !

Norfolk Newby

  • Joined Aug 2009
  • West Norfolk, UK
Re: Tree Planting on a LARGE scale - advice please !
« Reply #5 on: August 29, 2009, 11:07:02 am »
I have been tree planting on a smaller scale than you and only for the last year. I have about 1000 trees now in the ground which went in as seedlings. Some are now about 1 metre tall but most are around 60cm.

There are many rabbits and some deer in the area. I used rigid plastic vole guards initially but these restricted growth and have been replaced with a taller mesh guards which work better. This is probably not a cost effective approach for your scale of operation but thought it worth mentioning.

The trees are planted in rows about 4 metres apart. This allows me to use a small tractor and harrow to control weeds down the rows. However, I can't get close up to the trees with these implements for risk of causing damage to them. I have been trying to hand weed around them but this is slow.

I tried the idea of using old carpet around the base of each tree. This worked fairly well but made the harrow impractical. Trees were damaged as the carpet caught in the harrow and then was dragged across the tree.

My objective is to have a strip of grass in the centre of each row between the trees but have a strip of plant-free soil along the line of each row of trees about 1 metre wide. This is because weeds and grass growing around the base of the tree reduces its growth. Once I have got control of the weeds in the centre strip I can seed it with grass but leave the strip around the trees clear of other plants. The grass strip can then be mown to maintain it as a pathway.

I have just bought a small cultivator (5.5 hp, 50kg with rotating tines) and am experimenting with it to see if It will be practical to use round the trees. Some hand weeding may still be necessary but the cultivator will take care of the strip immediately either side of the trees.  I am not sure if it will cause root damage.

You can get contact weed killers which use a wheeled frame which carries rope or sponge strips to brush over the weeds. The machine uses Roundup or similar to kill the weeds without needing to use any sort of spray. I considered using this technique but don't like chemicals if I can avoid them.This might be a suitable technique for you considering the scale of your operation. The contact weed killer can be towed behind a quad bike or small tractor.

Sorry I can't come up with the magic bullet but hope my saga might give you some ideas.
Novice - growing fruit, trees and weeds

Muc

  • Joined Nov 2008
  • Co Clare, Ireland
Re: Tree Planting on a LARGE scale - advice please !
« Reply #6 on: September 26, 2009, 12:20:12 pm »
I've planted large numbers of trees, sitting on the back of a tractor-attachment.
The machine wa basically a plough towing a row of seats. There was a buzzer triggered every meter and I and the three other lads had to stick in a sapling every time the buzzer sounded. It was hard, muddy work but at the end of a day we could look back at a field turned into a mini-forest.
In rough terrain a digger went along and maked mounds at the correct intervals and we planters followed with our spades and bag of trees. A good planter could plant 500 saplings in a day.
The forester I worked with sealed off the area with rabbit netting - wire-netting pegged to the ground and relied on close planting and large numbers to get the forest established. The land would be well walked to keep an eye out for rabbits. Each year it was necessary to walk the plantation and fill in the losses, which could be as high as 10 per cent in the first year. Weed-killer was used to combat grass and chemical fertiliser was used in the first years.
I envy you your task but strongly advise getting a professional forrester to advise.


HappyHippy

  • Guest
Re: Tree Planting on a LARGE scale - advice please !
« Reply #7 on: September 26, 2009, 12:39:36 pm »
Hi all,
Just a quick update on our planting.
We've gotten approx 12,500 planted - all thanks to the marvelous pottipukki's (500+ trees per day with NO BENDING!)and willing helpers ! We were unable to do it mechanically unfortunately as the missing ones were in places we couldn't get tractors into  >:(
Super strength tree guards (and pest control ;)) are in place and the results are looking good !
Got 5000 more sitting outside, delivered yesterday, so will be busy for the next wee while - but it's good to know we're almost there  ;D
We were advised by the forrestry commision officer prior to begining, and he'll be out to see them again soon - the end is in sight  ;)

 

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