FOREST TREE PLANTING IN RELATION TO THE FARM. 



The planting of forest trees for wood crop production and for 

 soil protection has been carried on for many years in older coun- 

 tries, as Switzerland, France and Germany. The price of lumber 

 and fuel and the necessity of providing for the future have caused 

 many to think of the question of reforesting denuded lands. The 

 following deals with tree planting in relation to the farm and small 

 land owner: 



Choice of Species. In forest planting we are limited to certain 

 species of trees owing to various factors. Some of these factors are : 

 (1) Hardiness and rate of growth, (2) nature of soil to be planted, 

 (3) kind of wood crop desired, (4) availability and cost of planting 

 material. One of our best guides in replanting will be found in the 

 original natural distribution of trees. Through many generations 

 certain species have become adapted to certain areas having certain 

 conditions. Such distribution may be spoken of as geographical, 

 and local. Geographical distribution depends on climatic factors, 

 as temperature, amount of rainfall and atmospheric moisture. Local 

 distribution depends on local variations, as quality of soil, drainage, 

 exposure, etc. 



Hardiness and Rate of Growth. A species might be hardy 

 and still its rate of growth and development be so slow as to pre- 

 clude its use in practical planting. To illustrate this the Black 

 Walnut is found throughout an area extending from the southern 

 part of Ontario to the Gulf States and from the New England States 

 to Kansas and Nebraska. Within this area the Black Walnut prob- 

 ably has its fastest rate of growth and development in the central 

 region, as Indiana and Tennessee. In southern Ontario its growth 

 and development is such that its use in replanting should be very 

 limited. The fancy prices paid for Black Walnut have been for 

 trees from 200 to 400 years old. The White Pine is distributed over 

 an area extending from Manitoba to Newfoundland and from the 

 height of land in northern Ontario to Tennessee and Georgia. The 

 region of its best development is in the Lake States and Provinces. 

 There is probably no better species for planting work in Ontario. 

 Ontario is near the center of its range and in this Province it may 

 be found thriving in all classes of soil from wet, heavy locations to 

 light, sandy ridges. 



Of our two common Oaks, the White and Red, it might be 

 thought that the White would be the better to use in planting work, 

 as it demands a better price in the market. However, it is probable 

 that Red Oak will give the best returns for the following reasons: 

 White Oak is a comparatively slow growing tree in Ontario, whereas 

 Red Oak makes a good growth even in waste types of soil. In 

 replanting we must consider species which will give best returns on 

 waste land and not put too much faith on those which have brought 

 fancy prices in the past. Frequently these high priced species 

 grew on soil which to-day cannot be used for forest crops. 



Nature of the soil. The nature of the soil must influence the 

 choice of species. No arbitrary division can be made, as the choice 



