REFORESTATION 



Planting of nursery-grown forest trees is recom- 

 mended as a way to bring back the productivity of : 



1. Gullied areas. 



2. Abandoned or retired cropland that is not needed 

 or not suited for use as improved pasture. 



3. Woods areas occupied by scrub, cull, or otherwise 

 worthless trees. 



On areas of these three classes where there are no pine 

 seed trees within 300 feet, 1-year-old nursery-grown 

 pines should be planted 8 feet apart each way. (Within 

 3 years thereafter, any worthless trees present should 

 be deadened.) Where thin stands of natural reproduc- 

 tion are present, and where there are open spaces in 

 woodlands, nursery stock should be interplanted. To 

 increase the variety of woodland products, it is often 

 desirable to interplant trees of species different from 

 those already present. On an area that has been burned 

 frequently or overgrazed, protection may be all that is 

 needed to bring about good stocking of young trees. 



Production of fence posts for use on the farm is 

 often the chief purpose of tree planting. The heart- 

 wood of redcedar, bois d'arc, catalpa, and black locust 

 makes durable posts. These species are generally suit- 

 able for planting on fertile land that can be cultivated. 

 Some other species are good locally for this purpose. 

 Post species may be planted here and there in large 

 openings in the woods or in solid blocks with 8- by 8-foot 

 spacing. The plantation areas should be clean culti- 

 vated for at least the first 2 years. Also, they should 

 be side dressed with 200 pounds per acre of a balanced 

 fertilizer high in phosphate the first year and, if the 

 trees appear to need it, with the same amount of super- 

 phosphate the second year. Black locust, in particular, 

 needs phosphate. (On some farms where good post 

 wood is not available the best solution may be chemical 

 treatment of posts made from nondurable woods.) 



