Machine planting has several advantages over hand planting: 



1. More consistent quality of planting. Every tree is planted in the same way. 



2. High rate of production. The machines used in the Intermountain Region 

 planted 4,000 to 8,000 trees per 8-hour shift and the machines could be run for two 

 shifts a day, especially important when the planting season is short. 



3. Lower overhead costs. 



Some disadvantages of machines include: 



1. Limitations of slope. They cannot work ground steeper than about 40 percent. 



2. Dependence on machines. If the tractor or planting machine breaks down 

 mechanically, the whole crew loses time. 



3. The high cost of purchasing specialized machinery that is used only a few 

 weeks each year. 



Planting machines will be more useful in mountain country when a machine is 

 developed that can work on contours on slopes steeper than 40 percent. Also, machines 

 need to be better adapted for work in rocky and log-strewn areas. 



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