Planning for Regeneration 



In all regeneration planning, the basic choice lies between natural and artificial 

 regeneration. With ponderosa pine, management objectives and the characteristics of 

 the location and site determine this choice. With either method, however, site prepara 

 tion is usually necessary for seed germination and seedling survival. 



Natural Versus Artificial Regeneration 



Both natural and artificial regeneration have evident advantages and disadvantages 

 Planting permits initial control of composition and stocking, a distinct advantage, but 

 requires a considerable investment. When stands are to be clearcut and planted, log- 

 ging is more straightforward than when seed trees must be retained on the cutting area. 

 On planted areas there is no delay before regeneration begins and the chance of early 

 success is more certain than if natural regeneration is relied on, although without 

 good planning there is some danger of an inappropriate seed source. 



Natural regeneration, though often economical, is less reliable, and the retained 

 seed trees must be cut and removed after reproduction is established. The seed trees 

 help to ameliorate a harsh climate, however, and are esthetically pleasing. The ulti- 

 mate choice between artificial and natural regeneration will be decided by such local 

 and specific factors as the presence and location of seed trees, amount of available 

 seed, availability of planting stock raised from seed collected on the tract or nearby, 

 size and topography of area, soil and site, silvical requirements of the species, 

 condition of trees in the overstory, and costs. 



With artificial regeneration of ponderosa pine, the time schedule for the repro- 

 duction period is easier to determine and is much shorter than with natural regenera- 

 tion. Primarily, natural regeneration is limited by the occurrence of an adequate cone 

 crop. Therefore, a time objective must be long enough to include a heavy seed year. 

 A reasonable objective for natural regeneration would be one-tenth of the rotation or 

 the occurrence of one adequate cone crop. If natural regeneration fails to become 

 established in that time, the site should be planted. With careful planning for seed 

 collection and nursery production a timber sale area can be planted within a year. 

 A reasonable objective would be 5 years following the cutting. 



Another limitation is the availability of seed from a proper seed source. In 

 natural regeneration there is no problem, providing that desirable seed trees have 

 been selected, because the seed comes from on or near the site. For direct seeding 

 or planting, however, seed must be collected within genetically approved horizontal 

 distances and elevations to ensure that the trees will be adaptable to the site. 



Seedling survival is a key factor in regeneration in these mountainous regions 

 because the cost of repeated treatments is high. If the initial attempt at either 

 natural or artificial regeneration fails, rapid reinvasion of competing vegetation and 

 steep slopes make the second effort difficult and the total investment in the new 

 stands high. 



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