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Forest planting - an important and significant part of thoughtful forest management

Forest planting with Timbro

Forest planting is an important and recommended forest management stage if you want to receive a faster and better quality next yield from your forest. All forests after clearcutting must be regenerated within 5 years in accordance with Cabinet Regulation No. 308 On Forest Regeneration and Afforestation. Tree planting in a clearing is considered to be of good quality if there are at least 2000 young trees per hectare in the regenerated area that have exceeded the minimum height (10 cm for conifers, 20 cm for deciduous trees).

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Does forest planting pay off?

Currently in Latvia, the law does not stipulate that forest planting is mandatory in clearcuts, however, we recommend planting forests instead of allowing the forest stand to regenerate naturally, because unfortunately, as experience shows, aggressive and less qualitative deciduous tree species, which in turn will reduce your future profits and the overall value of the forest, usually regenerate naturally. Forest planting requires investments, which often deter owners from deciding on this step. Our experience, however, shows that regardless of whether you want to sell the property or keep it in your possession, forest planting pays off in both cases, as the benefit will significantly exceed the investments.

Forest regeneration, which is carried out timely and correctly, will provide the following benefits:

  • Will accelerate and increase the profit from forest land
  • Will improve the quality of wood and, accordingly, the owner's profit
  • Will increase the value of the property if there is a need to sell it

Timbro shares knowledge, technologies and experience, including on thoughtful forest regeneration and tree planting, which will help you understand these processes in detail and increase the value of forest land and your profit.

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What forest regeneration rules must be followed to increase profit

Forest regeneration and tree planting rules are listed in the Forest Law, which describes what is considered a regenerated clearing and what is the minimum number of trees to be planted according to the tree species.

Tree planting will increase profit if you take these recommendations into account:

  • Soil preparation must be carried out before tree planting. Soil preparation enriches and improves the soil, as well as facilitates tree planting, helps to easily observe the distances between the seedlings, regulates the amount of moisture, and promotes further care of the planting. In most cases, the soil is prepared in furrows with disc-type milling machines, which are specially adapted to prepare the soil in various forest types and difficult conditions. A facilitating circumstance is that these milling machines can be mounted on both forest tractors and agricultural tractors.
  • In the tree planting process, it is recommended to plant at least 2000 tree seedlings per hectare, as some of the seedlings will not survive due to weather, pests and animal damage. It is better to plant more tree seedlings than to invest large sums of money in various protective equipment. A larger number of planted trees will also help to carry out better quality young stand tending, which will improve the quality of the forest stand and increase profit.
  • The soil quality must be assessed and the correct tree species must be chosen accordingly, which are appropriate to plant on the specific property. There is often a belief that it is better to plant pine, but there are many soil types in which pine tree planting is not recommended. Pine is better planted in less fertile forest types (heath, blueberry and peatlands), in moderately fertile ones, both conifers and deciduous trees can be planted, while in fertile broadleaf forests and peatlands it is better to plant deciduous trees or spruce. We often recommend planting mixed stands where, for example, birch is planted together with spruce, as these tree species complement each other well - birch is faster-growing and takes excess moisture from the soil, which in turn promotes spruce growth, as the soil is drier and shady. In addition to these factors, birch also retains wind, which will reduce the uprooting of spruces in storms.
  • In forest planting, attention should be paid to the quality, type and age of the selected tree seedlings. The size of the seedlings, the size of the shoot and roots, and branching are important for how well and quickly the tree seedlings will grow. The quality of tree seedlings is mainly determined by the proportion of roots and shoots, not by the size of the seedling shoot. The roots of tree seedlings should be well developed, with a large number of fine and absorbent rootlets. Increased attention should be paid to the root system of container seedlings - if the seedling has grown in a too small container, it will have a weak root system and will grow poorly or even die.
  • Forest planting should be carried out in early spring when there is still enough moisture in the soil or in early autumn when it is no longer so hot and dry, then the tree seedlings will take root better and fewer will die.
  • Timely agrotechnical maintenance must be carried out – mowing, trampling and destruction of unwanted tree shoots to free up space and reduce competition for nutrients.

Timbro consultants have diverse experience in forest management, agriculture, finance, surveying and investment sectors.

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Forest planting - frequently asked questions
What is the price of forest planting?
The price of forest planting is usually around 300 euros per hectare, plus other costs must be taken into account - soil preparation (ridge formation) and the purchase of tree seedlings. The total cost of forest planting is usually around 1000 euros per hectare, but the benefit is much greater than the investment.
Which animals cause the most damage to a restored forest?

Typically, the biggest pests are:

  • Hares, which can bite off the tops of seedlings and gnaw on the bark of the trunk
  • Ungulates - roe deer, moose, deer, which like tops and young shoots, and seedlings can also be broken or damaged by rubbing their horns against the trunks
  • Beavers, which can gnaw on young trees
  • Wild boars, which, looking for caterpillars and acorns, can dig out tree seedlings
What measures should be taken after forest planting to reduce animal damage?

There are cheaper and more expensive ways to protect your forest after planting trees. The cheapest and, in our opinion, most effective way is:

  1. Plant more seedlings per hectare to ensure a larger number survive.
  2. Conclude a contract with a hunting collective that regulates the number of wild animals.

There are, of course, various protective materials and plant protection products, but these will be quite large investments, which, in our opinion, do not pay off and often do not provide the desired result.

Interested in thoughtful forest planting? Apply and increase the value of your forest!

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