Abstract
Successful cost-effective reforestation plantings depend substantially on maximising sapling survival from the time of planting, yet in reforestation programs remarkably little attention is given to management of saplings at the planting stage and to planting methods used. Critical determinants of sapling survival include their vigour and condition when planted, the wetness of the soil into which saplings are planted, the trauma of transplant shock from nursery to natural field soils, and the method and care taken during planting. While some determinants are outside planters' control, careful management of specific elements associated with outplanting can significantly lessen transplanting shock and improve survival rates. Results from three reforestation experiments designed to examine cost-effective planting methods in the Australian wet tropics provided the opportunity to examine the effects of specific planting treatments, including (1) watering regime prior to planting, (2) method of planting and planter technique, and (3) site preparation and maintenance, on sapling survival and establishment. Focusing on sapling root moisture and physical protection during planting improved sapling survival by at least 10% (>91% versus 81%) at 4 months. Survival rates of saplings under different planting treatments were reflected in longer-term survival of trees at 18–20 months, differing from a low of 52% up to 76–88%. This survival effect was evident more than 6 years after planting. Watering saplings immediately prior to planting, careful planting using a forester's planting spade in moist soil and suppressing grass competition using appropriate herbicides were critical to improved plant survival.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Article number | 117645 |
| Pages (from-to) | 117645 |
| Number of pages | 1 |
| Journal | Journal of Environmental Management |
| Volume | 336 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 15 Jun 2023 |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:This work contributes to Australian Research Council Linkage project LP0989161 Cost-effective reforestation for biodiversity and carbon in the wet tropics; the Biodiversity Fund of the Australian Government provided funds to establish one of the experiments, maintain all the plantings and undertake some research. We are grateful to James Cook University and Charles Darwin University for continuing support. The authors declare no known conflicts of interest. We thank the four reviewers for their valuable contributions to improving this article. We acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of the Ngadjon lands where this work was conducted.
Funding Information:
This work contributes to Australian Research Council Linkage project LP0989161 Cost-effective reforestation for biodiversity and carbon in the wet tropics; the Biodiversity Fund of the Australian Government provided funds to establish one of the experiments, maintain all the plantings and undertake some research. We are grateful to James Cook University and Charles Darwin University for continuing support. The authors declare no known conflicts of interest.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2023 The Authors
