Red alder Establishment: Achieving Success the First Time

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Red alder Establishment Achieving Success the
First Time

• By Chris Rasor
• Reforestation Coordinator
• Department of Natural Resources
• Pacific Cascade Region

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Objective Achieve Success the 1st Time!

• Step 1 Selecting a suitable growing site
• Step 2 Site preparation
• Step 3 Seedling selection and care
• Step 4 Planting execution
• Step 5 1st year plantation monitoring

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Site Selection Criteria

• Red alder grows almost anywhere Well-drained
  gravelly flood plains to poorly drained clay
  soils, BUT productivity is only optimal on the
  ideal sites. Proper site selection is
  prerequisite to success.
• Key Physical Site Characteristics2
• Topography
• Low elevation lt 1000 (Summarizes length of
  growing season and temperature)
• Slopes lt20 (allows for ground-based harvesting)
• Aspect Key sheltered from drying winds , storm
  winds
• North or NE best, South worst, West aspects risk
  wind exposure
• Effects of aspect greatly reduced when slopes
  lt10
• Soils
• Well drained, good rooting depth gt30 inches
• Deep loam, silt loam, clay loam (high water
  holding capacity)

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Site Selection Using Plant Associations

• Use Ground Vegetation Clues
• Salal too dry/nutrient poor
• Sword fern moist, nutrient rich
• If in doubt, verify your plant association
• Recommended plant association guide for SW WA
• http//www.reo.gov/ecoshare/Publications/documents
  /FPAOlympicNF.pdf (start on page 104)
• Exclude areas of dominant salal from planting if
  possible

Silver Springs Unit 3 Future red alder site
Optimal sword fern cover (POMU)
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Site Selection
Resources

• A Method of Site Quality Evaluation for Red
  Alder by C.A. Harrington, 1986.
  http//www.treesearch.fs.fed.us/pubs/5556
• Red Alder Plantation Establishment Site
  Selection, Site Preparation, Planting Stock, and
  Regeneration by A. Dobkowski, 2006.
  http//www.fs.fed.us/pnw/publications/gtr669/
• DNR Red Alder Index Model ARCGIS Tool
• Geographic representation of alder suitability
  using criteria primarily from Harringtons
  publication

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Site Selection
DNR red alder index GIS model DARK GREEN SI20
est. _at_ 70 feet MEDIUM GREEN MODERATE
(66) LIGHT GREEN LOW POTENTIAL (60) PINK NO
POTENTIAL (SI20 lt60 feet)
Alder_index NO POTENTIAL Elevation
0-1000 Aspect North-East Slope
5-20 Position Plain Soil_type
LOW Soil_depth gt 30 inches Site_index HIGH
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Site Selection
Height 18 ft.

• 3-year old plantation on a medium quality site
• (estimated SI20 65)

Yr 3
Yr 2
Yr 1
Shakers U1 Site estimate SI20 65 feet
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Site Selection
6-year-old plantation on a poor site (est.SI20
lt60 ft.) Note salal cover
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Ranges of Site Productivity
DNR Red alder Site Quality Rating Height _at_ Age 20 (SI20)1
Marginal 55-60
Moderate 61-65
Good 66-70
Excellent 70

• Site index based on natural stands from Hardwood
  Silviculture Coop (HSC) Installations
• Height gains through plantation forestry may be 6
  feet or more at age 20 based on initial HSC
  installation data

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Site Selection Watch Outs
Frost pockets
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Frost Pocket Screening

• Cold air settling Any depressions on flat (lt5)
  topography
• Macro cold-air drainage Draws or valleys
  connecting areas of high to low elevation that
  drain large masses of cold air
• Cold-air damming Lower portions of units where
  cold air backs-up behind vegetative barriers such
  as riparian areas, or topographical obstructions
  such as ridges

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Frost Pocket Examples
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Frost Damage Illustration

• Freeze damage prior to lifting at the nursery,
  noticed in the field!

• Frost kill in field (year 1)

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Step 2 Site Preparation

• GOALS OF SITE PREPARATION
• Create plantable spots
• Control competing vegetation

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Mechanical Site Preparation
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Chemical Site Preparation
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Managing for Problems
Managing for Max Growth
Managing for Survival
Reference 4
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Herbicides aid early density, vegetation control
of pile burn spots
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Controlling Competing VegetationGoal lt 20
cover 1st growing season

• December before planting

• August 7th, 1st growing season

Shakers Unit 1 1st Year Competing Vegetation
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Herbicide Options

• Site Preparation
• Foliar herbicides
• Glyphosate (Accord)
• Soil residual herbicides
• Atrazine (Atrazine 90 WDG)
• Metsulfuron (Escort XP)
• Potential future tools
• Flumioxazin (SureGuard)

• Release
• Ground glyposate directed application (low
  effectiveness, high cost)
• Aerial atrazine treatment dormant application
• SureGuard herbicide may become a tool for early
  release

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Chemical Site Preparation

• Most effective site preparation tank mixes
• Accord (glyphosate) Atrazine 90 WDG (atrazine)
• Pros atrazine provides superior herbaceous
  control
• Cons atrazine Restricted Use Pesticide (RUP),
  higher risk of groundwater leaching, more
  difficult to apply
• Accord (glyphosate) Escort XP (metsulfuron)
• Pros Escort easier to apply due to small use
  rates, low risk of groundwater leaching
• Cons inferior herbaceous weed control (grass,
  senecio)
• Make sure to follow all label precautions and
  worker protection standards when using herbicides

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Chemical Site Preparation

• Accord (72-128 oz) Escort (1-2 oz)/ac

January prior to 2nd growing season
June 2nd growing season
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Senecio Sylvaticus September 1st Growing Season
May Senecio germinant
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Example of poor vegetation control

• Grass, senecio, thistle not controlled by fall
  site prep using Accord Escort on Shakers U1.
  Growth substantially reduced where total
  vegetation cover gt 20

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Step 3 Seedling Selection Care

• 10 (left) vs. P1/2 (right)

• Styro 2 plugs ready for transplant

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Seedling Selection

• Target Seedling Characteristics

1. 1-year bare-root seedlings P½ (Webster) or 10
   (Weyerhaeuser)
2. Sturdy, well-branched seedling buds all along
   the main stem
3. Seedling height 24-48 inches
4. Largest caliper possible (gt 8mm, min. 6mm )
   Caliper is key!
5. Dense , healthy root system with Frankia nodules
6. Minimal large diameter woody roots

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Seedling Selection Stem caliper dictates
initial growth potential

• July 31 gt10mm caliper

• July 31 lt8mm caliper

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Stem Caliper vs. 1st Year Height
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Predicting 1st Year Height Growth Using Seedling
Caliper

• 1st Year growth of target seedling

• Predicting 1st Year Height

y .3117x 2.3186 y .3117x 2.3186
x (caliper) mm y (ht) ft.
4 3.6
5 3.9
6 4.2
7 4.5
8 4.8
9 5.1
10 5.4
11 5.7
12 6.1
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Seedling Care Handling

• Nursery Procedures (verify with nursery)
• Freezer store from early January
• Thawed upon request 3-5 days before pick-up
• Communicate your expectations to growers/nursery
  managers
• Nursery to Cold Storage
• Keep in cold storage during long transports to
  cooler if possible
• Store at 33-38 degrees F no more than 1-2 weeks
  following thawing
• Cold Storage to Planting Site
• Do not stack bags greater than 3 bags deep
  without support
• Transport under insulated tarp or canopy
  eliminating direct sun exposure, drying of fine
  roots
• Only remove qty from cold storage that can be
  planted that day

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Step 4 Planting Execution

• Handling At the Planting Site
• Paint trees with white or orange paint to
  facilitate visibility for spacing, planting
  compliance
• Eliminate planters from overloading planting bags
  (scrapes off side buds during loading, unloading)
• Minimize planters grabbing seedlings from tips
  (brittle tips snap off easily)
• Do not let planters boots contact stem (thin
  bark damages easily)

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Planting Specifications

• Timing
• Plant mid-March to mid-April (after risk of
  damaging frosts)
• Planting Spot Characteristics (define in
  contract)
• Plant in mineral soil avoiding close proximity to
  stumps or slash piles (risks damage from
  reflective heat or mechanical abrasion)
• Do not plant where obstructions intersect an
  imaginary 1 foot cylinder around seedling
• Avoid excess scalping (minimizes reflective heat
  around stem)
• Depth settled groundline 1 inch above root
  collar
• Stocking Levels
• Target 540 tpa (9x9) to 680 (8 x 8) well
  spaced

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Results of Poor Planting

• Shallow planted tree wind-rocked out of planting
  hole in year 2

• Mechanical abrasion caused by slash pile edges

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Step 5 1st Year Monitoring
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GOALS OF 1ST YEAR MONITORING

• Trigger Necessary Silviculture Activities
• Actual total vegetation cover mid-July
• Herbicide release? (yes if gt40 in yr 1)
• Actual total live stocking at end of 1st Year
• Actual cause of significant mortality?
• Interplant? (yes if lt 480-500 live crop trees)
• Actual versus target height
• Why was target achieved or not?

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Questions?Chris.Rasor_at_dnr.wa.gov
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References

• Harrington, C.A. Curtis, R.O., 1985. Height
  growth and site index curves for red alder. Res.
  Pap. PNW-358. Portland, OR U.S. Department of
  Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Northwest
  Research Station, 14 p.
• C.A. Harrington, 1986. A Method of Site Quality
  Evaluation for Red Alder. http//www.treesearch.fs
  .fed.us/pubs/5556
• A. Dobkowski., 2006. Red Alder Plantation
  Establishment Site Selection, Site Preparation,
  Planting Stock, and Regeneration.
  http//www.fs.fed.us/pnw/publications/gtr669/
• R. Wagner, 2000. Competition and critical-period
  thresholds for vegetation management decisions in
  young conifer stands. November/December Vol. 76,
  No. 6, The Forestry Chronicle.
• G.R. Ahrens A. Dobkowski D.E. Hibbs, 1992. Red
  alder Guidelines for Successful Regeneration.
  Special Publication 24. Forest Research
  Laboratory, Oregon State University.