ESTABLISHING FORESTS BY PLANTING 375 



19. Spring Planting 



Almost without exception the most favorable time for plant- 

 ing is in the spring two weeks or more before the buds begin 

 their growth. At this time the roots are active and become 

 quickly established. When plants are taken from the nursery 

 at this time and immediately set in the plantation, there is very 

 little interruption of growth and the conditions are most favorable 

 for maximum success. In the spring planting of deciduous spe- 

 cies, it is particularly important that the trees be set before the 

 leaves start their growth or even before the buds have appre- 

 ciably swollen. When the planting is delayed until the leaves 

 have started, they invariably wither and die on the trees and the 

 later foliage which results from the unfolding of dormant buds 

 is usually ragged and open. Most conifers, on the other hand, 

 can be successfully planted after the new growth is fairly well 

 advanced. They do better, however, when set before the new 

 growth has started. When stock cannot be planted until after the 

 spring vegetation is well advanced, it should be stored under con- 

 ditions that prevent the new growth from starting. 



Although in most localities early spring is the best season for 

 planting all species, this period is of short duration varying from 

 two to four weeks, depending upon the locality. When there is 

 but a small amount of planting to be done, special effort should 

 be made to set the trees at this time. When operations are con- 

 ducted on a large scale, the economic handling of labor often pre- 

 vents the planting of all the stock during the most favorable 

 period. Both autumn and spring planting must be undertaken 

 in order to distribute the labor economically. In cases where 

 the planting is confined to a single species, well-protected sites 

 and those having a porous, open soil should be selected for au- 

 tumn planting; while the more exposed sites and the heavier 

 soils should be reserved for spring planting. When two or more 

 species are to be planted, the broadleaved species and the decidu- 

 ous conifers should be planted in the autumn and the evergreen 

 conifers in the spring. As regards spring planting, the hardier 

 species should be planted early, while late spring should be re- 

 served for the planting of tender species. 



In regions like portions of California where there is a pronounced 

 wet and dry season and where the wet season occurs during the 



