Natural Regeneration and Cost Sharing

On many sites, natural regeneration is a viable alternative to planting. Site preparation for natural regeneration of pine, using prescribed fire, herbicides, or mechanical means, is eligible for cost-sharing under SIP and other above-mentioned programs at the same rates as for plantations. (Because natural regeneration is usually much less expensive than planting, it can help stretch reduced federal reforestation cost-sharing dollars to reach more landowners and more acres.) In addition, since overstocking sometimes occurs at a very early age in naturally regenerated pine stands, pre-commercial thinning of them is eligible for SIP cost share funds.

Even for landowners who need to keep cash outlays for reforestation to a minimum, natural regeneration of pine can be affordable without cost sharing. A forester skilled in the art of natural regeneration can help you decide if it suits your situation and then make an appropriate prescription.

Natural regeneration can also have some advantages for wildlife. Because of slower initial growth, a young, naturally-regenerated pine stand provides wildlife cover and abundant food for a longer period than a planted stand. Also, it is more likely for mast-producing hardwoods to be retained or become established in a naturally regenerated stand. The remaining seed trees make a newly harvested stand more appealing to some bird species. Seed trees that are killed by lightning become snags, which are important for many wildlife species.

Natural regeneration does have some drawbacks. Planting seedlings have a "head start" on competing vegetation. Planting permits control of spacing and use of genetically-improved stock. For these reasons, planting will usually produce merchantable pine trees in a shorter time than natural regeneration. Natural regeneration usually requires planning several years in advance and, compared to planting, it has a greater risk of failure. So, in some cases, the landowner will need to site prep and plant after all. For more information, you may wish to refer back to the article on natural regeneration in newsletter Volume 2, Number 4 (Fall, 1994).