72 MISC. PUBLICATION 9 0, U. S. DEPT. OF AGRICULTURE 



usually allowed to remain two years in the seed bed, but Engelmann 

 spruce, on account of its smaller size, is left there three years. At 

 the end of these periods the seedling trees are dug up and trans- 

 planted into other beds where they are set out in rows to give them 

 more room for growth. Western yellow pine and lodge-pole pine 

 usually remain in the transplant bed one year; Douglas fir and 

 Engelmann spruce two years, before they are large enough to be 

 set out in the forest. When the small trees are ready for shipment 

 they are dug up and tied losely in bunches of 50 or 100. These 

 bunches are then crated or packed in bales with the roots wrapped 

 in moist sphagnum moss and the tops exposed to the air. In ship- 

 ping small trees the two most important things to remember are 

 that the roots must not become dry for a moment and that the tops 

 must be well ventilated to prevent molding. 



PLANTING THE TREES IN THE FOREST 



In Utah the long, dry summers are the greatest hardship which the 

 planted forest has to meet. For this reason plantation sites for 

 forest trees should be selected where the species to be planted has 

 grown before and where the small trees will receive some shelter 

 from snags, brush, aspen, or sagebrush. Planting should be done 

 just as soon as the snow leaves the plantation site so that the small 

 trees will get the benefit of spring rains and will have established 

 themselves before the heat of summer. 



As soon as a shipment of trees reaches the place for planting, 

 it should be opened and the roots of each bundle of trees well 

 puddled (that is, the roots dipped in a puddle of thick mud which 

 coats them and prevents exposure to the air). The bundles are then 

 set in a shady trench and earth firmly packed about the roots. 



When the trees are needed for planting they are dug up, sprinkled, 

 and placed in a sack or bucket carried by the planter. Care should 

 be taken to keep the young trees damp and shaded from the sun at 

 all times. The planting is done by 2-man crews. One man pre- 

 pares the holes with a mattock, while the second man plants a tree 

 in each hole. Great care should be taken to see that the trees are 

 planted to the same depth as they stood in the nursery ; that the hole 

 is deep enough for the roots to be well spread out; and that the 

 earth is firmly packed about the roots to exclude the air. The two 

 most important things to remember in planting trees are that the 

 roots must not dry out even for a moment and that the planted tree 

 must be firmly set with its roots spread out as naturally as possible. 

 (Fig. 39.) 



FARM WOODLANDS AND SHELTER BELTS 



Farm forestry in Utah is of much greater importance than is 

 usually realized. Fortunately, during the early settlement of Utah, 

 the need for tree planting was recognized, and the older communities 

 are fairly well protected by windbreaks and shade trees. To be sure, 

 the trees planted were generally not the most suitable species for the 

 purpose, but the most available, as for instance cottonwood and 

 box elder, the two trees most used. These trees grow rapidly, but 

 otherwise are not so desirable as many other kinds of trees for 

 planting on the farm. 



