The 19-14 airplane seeling of the Henry Creek burn on the Cabinet national 

 Forest is a good example of a successful low-cost seeding job under the 

 conditions described. Total cost for seed and plane hire for the 225- 

 acre job was a little under #1.50 per acre. Average production in 1946 

 for the entire area was estimated at 2,620 pounds of green forage per 

 acre (clipped at 1 inch above the ground), while on moderately favorable 

 sites it 7/as up to 3,000 pounds per acre. 



It is not known how long the grasses will persist on formerly timbered 

 land or just what effect seeding to grass will have in various situa- 

 tions upon timber reproduction. Studies in eastern Oregon showed that 

 in one case seeding to grass prevented excessively thick stands of 

 lodgepole pine by reducing establishment on the seeded area to 7 percent 

 of the number of trees established on an adjacent unseeded area (10). 

 In some localities this may pose a knotty problem in proper land use, 

 but -where there is need for additional forage and where good timber 

 reproduction is unlikely these considerations, added to the erosion 

 control values, may well justify the seeding of grass. 



Kov; to seed : Broadcast seeding i? usually the only practical method. 

 Seedbed preparation is accomplished by the fire, and ashes provide 

 cover for the seed. Broadcasting may be done by hand or with a cyclone 

 seeder on small areas. For areas of 100 or more acres the job can 

 probably be done most economically by broadcasting from an airplane. 



Airplane seeding has not been very widely used, and new developments in 

 techniques, flying speed, height, hopper and feed arrangements, etc., 

 may be expected from time to time. Research Note No, 52 "Seeding grass 

 by airplane on western Ilontana's burned-over timberland , ; ' may be obtained 

 upon request from this station (16). 



T .;hat to seed : Shade tolerance and ability to become established promptly 

 without much soil covering are characteristics important in selecting 

 grasses for broadcast seeding on burns. The following mixture is suggested 

 for use on most burns under the conditions described as favorable. 



Species 



Average or better 

 conditions as described above 



lbs. per acre 



Timothy 

 Orcha rdgrass 

 Kentucky bluegrass 

 Bulbous bluegrass 

 Smooth brome 

 Tall oatgrass or 



1 

 2 

 1 

 1 

 2 

 1 



fountain brome 



Total: 



8 



-19- 



