SUCCESSFUL
PLANTING OF TREE SEEDLINGS IN WET AREAS1
William H. Conner, Kenneth W. McLeod, L. Wayne lnabinette, Victor H. Parrish,
and
Michael R. Reed2
Abstract-Restoration of former cypress/tupelo swamp areas in the
southeastern United States usually calls for planting
seedlings in standing water.Standard techniques of planting with a dibble or shovel are difficult and
time-consuming.Therefore, new techniques of planting are required.We have been planting baldcypress (Taxodium distichum [L.] Rich.),
water tupelo (Nyssa aquatice L.), and green ash
(Fraxinus pennsylvanica Marsh.) at various flooded sites in South
Carolina and Louisiana by several methods.One method was to simply grasp the seedling at the root
collar and push
them into the soil, after heavily pruning the lateral
roots.Other methods included
planting of commercial balled and burlap
seedlings and similar homemade planting units.These were planted on the sediment surface and allowed to
'settle' into
the sediment over time.Excellent
results have been obtained with root-pruned and balled and burlap baldcypress,
while
green ash was most sensitive to root pruning and water
depth.Water tupelo was
intermediate in response.In
addition,
tree shelters have been tested to see how well they protect seedlings from
herbivory and increase early growth of
seedlings.Tree
shelters do reduce herbivory but do not eliminate it.Early growth is increased, but there are indicationsthat non-tree shelter trees may catch up in height growth in later years.
1Paper presented at the Tenth Biennial
Southern Silvicultural Research Conference, Shreveport, LA, February 16-18,
1999. 2Associate Professor and Research Technician, Baruch Forest Science
Institute. Georgetown, SC; and Associate Professor. Graduate Student,
and Research Technician, Savannah River Ecology
Laboratory, Aiken, SC, respectively.
SREL Reprint #2457
Conner, W.H., K.W. McLeod, L.W. Inabinette, V.H. Parrish, and M.R. Reed.
1999. Successful planting of tree seedlings in wet areas. p. 201-204. In Proceedings
of the Tenth Biennial Southern Silvicultural Research, edited by J.D.
Haywood. USDA Forest Service, Asheville, N.C.
