KANSAS FORESTRY TECHICAL NOTE NO 9 TREE / SHRUB ESTABLISHMENT AND MAINTENANCE GUIDELINES This technical note provides guidance for establishing trees and shrubs as part of the following Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) Field Office Technical Guide (FOTG) Practices: Windbreak/Shelterbelt Establishment (practice code 380) Tree/Shrub Establishment (practice code 612) Riparian Forest Buffer (practice code 391) Upland Wildlife Habitat Management (practice code 645) Hedgerow Planting (practice code 422) Alley Cropping (practice code 311) Recreation Area Improvement (practice code 562) TABLE OF CONTENTS Subject Matter Page Windbreak Suitability Groups 2 Plant Stock Requirements 2 Storage, Care, and Handling Requirements 3 Planting Site Preparation 4 Establishment Methods 6 Establishment Criteria 8 Maintenance After Planting 9 Additional Information 12 Exhibit A Natural Regeneration Suitability Key 14 2 CONSERVATION TREE AND SHRUB short periods of time, as survival will be greatly PLANTING SUITABILITY GROUPS reduced. Refer to the Windbreak Suitability Groups in Container-grown Stock shall have a seedling Section II of the FOTG to determine adaptation height of at least 6 inches. Container-grown and performance of trees and shrubs for the stock must be produced in containers that soils of each windbreak suitability group. minimize girdling roots or J-roots. Seeds should be collected as close to the PLANT STOCK REQUIREMENTS planting site as possible, or purchased from Planting stock must be grown from locally nurseries or other sources that are known to be adapted seed or cuttings of known origin and using locally adapted seed. Seed from walnut meet height and caliper standards listed below. and oaks should be collected within a 200 radius For species that are not native, the seedlings of the planting site. should be produced from seed collected from Not all seed is viable or sound. The percent of localities having climate, latitude, and altitude sound seed in a batch can be determined by similar to that of Kansas or from seed sources simply cutting or cracking open a sample of the that have been selected and tested in tree nuts. Viable nuts have white, sound-looking nut improvement programs. Planting stock from out- meat; nonviable seeds have darkened or of-state sources must be certified disease and shriveled kernels that may be watery or give off insect free. a foul or rancid odor. Floating seed has also Bare Root Deciduous Seedlings shall not be been used to determine viability of some less than 3/16 inch caliper at 1 inch above the species, however, it is not as reliable as a cut root collar. Bare root deciduous seedlings shall test. have a shoot (top growth) of at least 12 inches. There is a large variation in seed quality Rooted planting stock must not exceed a 2:1 between species. Some species of trees and shoot-to-root ratio (see Figure 1). shrubs have a high percentage of viable seeds Bare Root Coniferous Stock shall have a that will easily germinate the first season after minimum stem diameter of 5/32 inch at 1 inch planting. Other species have seed that is very above the root collar. Rooted planting stock difficult to germinate. Even with proper should have a well-developed fibrous root scarification and/or stratification, some species system and should not exceed a 2:1 shoot-to- will only show 2-3 percent germination 2 years root ratio (see Figure 1). after planting. Vegetative Deciduous Cuttings shall be no less than 1inch diameter at the base (recommend 2 –3 inch diameter for better survival), have the apical bud and all lateral side branches removed, and produced in lengths long enough to reach a soil depth that remains saturated throughout the growing season, or the site must be irrigated. Vegetative material should be collected while Measure dormant. Dormancy means no bud swell, no stem green showing on buds, and no separation of caliper 1" bud scales. Actively growing materials can be above used, but survival will usually be lower. Avoid root cutting current years growth. The best material is 4 to 5 years old. A horizontal cut at the top and a 45 degree cut at the bottom will aid in planting. The ends of the cuttings may be treated with latex paint. Vegetative material works best if planted within 2-3 weeks of harvest. Material may be stored if dormant for a short period of if kept at a temperature of 34-38 Figure 1: Shoot / Root Ratio degrees F. Do not allow stock to dry out for even 3 Storage, Care & Handling Requirements Rooted planting stock and cuttings will be stored Figure 2A: Dig a trench ° in a cool, moist environment (34-38 F) or heeled deep enough for proper into the soil. During all stages of handling and root placement. storage, keep stock free of mold and roots moist and cool. Keep roots covered at all times. Live cuttings that are not immediately planted after harvest shall be promptly placed in controlled storage conditions (34-38°F) and protected until Figure 2B: Break bundles planting time. and spread along the Seeds shall be stored in a cool (35-40°F), dark trench wall with 2-3 inches area. Depending upon the species, seed between each plant. storage may require moist or dry conditions. Become knowledgeable of the duration of seed viability. Some species of seeds lose viability within months after maturity. Others, with proper storage, remain viable for years. Figure 2C: Immediately cover roots with soil and Acorns should be collected in breathable sacks lightly pack. as soon as seed falls (late August-November) and soaked in water (running water is best) for 12 to 24 hours, drained for 30 minutes, and Cover roots quickly to minimize exposure to sun stored in a cool dark area. When collecting black and air. Short periods of exposure can greatly walnut, leave husks on for fall planting and store reduce survival and establishment. Leaving in piles less than 10” deep to avoid heat buildup. plants in a heel-in bed for longer than one Removing husks is unnecessary work that can season increases the difficulty of transplanting cause seeds to dry out. and decreases survivability. Moving the transplants to their permanent location should Landowners may keep stock for up to one week be performed while the material is still . before planting by storing it in a shaded, cool, moist place. A unheated basement or fruit cellar Roots of bare root stock shall be kept moist at all works very well. Plant bundles should be turned times during planting operations by placing in a every day when temporarily stored to avoid mold water-soil (mud) slurry, super-absorbent (e.g., and/or drying problems within the bundle. polyacrylamide) slurry, or covering with wet peat Ensure roots are moist and not exposed to the moss, wet shingletow, or other equivalent air. Do not store in a bucket of water. Trees will material. Do not cover with dry shingle tow, peat commonly break dormancy (begin to leaf out) moss, etc. and expect to thoroughly wet it with this type of storage, resulting in poorer afterwards. No matter the amount of water survival. applied,some roots will remain dry. For longer storage periods, stock may be heeled The rooting medium of container or potted stock in. This can be described as high-density shall be kept moist at all times by periodic planting in a furrow. Locate the heel-in bed in watering. good soil in a protected location. See Figure 2 Pre-treat stored unrooted cuttings prior to for details. planting by soaking in water for 24-48 hours. Note: There is some debate as to the Thoroughly soak the trench with water after effectiveness of soaking stored, unrooted planting to remove air spaces and improve root cuttings prior to planting. However, soaking will soil contact. not harm cuttings and may increase survivability. Keep roots moist and covered throughout the entire planting operation. To further reduce 4 planting shock, stock could be carried during the season and immediately before planting to planting process in buckets of water or slurry. control any species that have resprouted. Do not allow rooted conifer stock to be immersed for longer than one hour. Nonselective herbicides may be used to kill sod grasses and other herbaceous species prior to Stock shall not be planted when soil is frozen or tillage. Follow guidelines under Chemical Site dry. Do not handle trees or shrubs when Preparation and instructions found on the temperatures are freezing or below. herbicide label. Reduce exposure of bare root seedlings to air Avoid tilling soils that are wet, to minimize and sunshine while loading the planter and compaction. during the planting operation. Do not plant on hot, dry, windy days. Be alert to potential wind and water erosion risks during the fallow period. Seed an annual cover PLANTING SITE PREPARATION crop of oats or spring grains to control erosion while minimizing water usage. Oats and spring Planting sites shall be properly prepared based grains will die over winter, but must be seeded on soil and vegetative conditions listed below. early enough to attain 4-6 inch height prior to Avoid sites that have had recent application of freeze up to provide soil protection. pesticides that may be harmful to woody species. For very erosive sites and no plans for cover crops, till only 5-8 foot wide strips (10 foot strips, Check waiting period restrictions and carryover if weed control fabric is to be installed after characteristics of pesticides applied to the planting) where the trees/shrubs will be planted planting site in the previous one to two years while leaving and maintaining the existing prior to initiating tree planting.