Are You Ready to Plant?

Mid-December through early-February is the best time for planting tree seedlings in north and central Florida. If you have tracts that need to be planted, make sure all arrangements have been made:

* Make sure your seedlings have been ordered and a planting contractor has been lined up. A nurseryman or the county forester can provide you with names of planting contractors.

Flash:  DOF's Chiefland nursery has rust-resistant slash pine and other seedlings available.  (904) 493-6096

* For planting to succeed, many flatwoods sites need bedding. Bedding and other types of mechanical site preparation should be done at least two months before planting so that the soil has time to settle and eliminate air pockets.

* As needed, site preparation burning can be done at this time of year.

* Certain herbaceous weed control treatments with herbicide can be done during the fall and winter.

Here are some other forest management--and enjoyment--activities of the season:

* Prepare fire lines for winter prescribed burning.

* Fall, before the first frost, is a good time of year to treat Cogongrass. The correct herbicide, applied at this time, will be transported to the underground stems (rhizomes) and kill the whole plant. (Refer back to newsletter Volume 2, Number 2--Spring, 1994--for more information on cogongrass.)

* Review your Forest Stewardship Management Plan. Take stock of what you did in 1995 and make plans for next year. Make revisions to fit changes in your objectives or timing of planned activities. Make notes on the stand maps to reflect harvests, thinnings, planting, and other changes. If you need help to review and update the plan, make use of your consulting forester or the state agency natural resource professionals in your area. That plan is a valuable tool as long as you maintain it as a living, current document that reflects your objectives.

* With cooler temperatures, less rain--and less activity of things that like to suck your blood--its a good time of year to put in or maintain walking trails, bridges, boardwalks, and nesting structures. It fact it's a good time for most woods activities so...

* Hunt, walk, watch wildlife, ride a horse, picnic, be still and silent, whatever suits you...enjoy your forest property first hand.