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   After harvest, the site is sometimes prepared to make it more conducive to new growth. One method is scarification, which is another way of saying that the site is plowed to expose mineral soil. The darkness of the soil absorbs sunlight, and the seedlings benefit from additional warmth, nutrients and moisture. The controlled use of fire provides similar results. The ash gives seedlings a nutrient boost comparable to fertilizer, while the blackened earth absorbs solar energy. Site preparation is not usually needed in coastal forests, because native species tend to be strong and fast growing, so less stands in their way. Prompt regeneration reduces the need to remove grasses and brush before planting. |
 Harvested areas can be regenerated either naturally or by manual planting or seeding—depending on the tree species and characteristics of the site.  Natural regeneration requires a seed source for the new forest, such as groups of trees left standing after harvest. However, while nature takes care of the seed, a company may still be required to manually prepare the site and control competing vegetation to ensure successful growth. Although this may seem easier and less expensive than planting, that isn’t always true. All harvested areas must be reforested to a certain stage by a set time period. Natural regeneration is unpredictable and it isn’t unusual for a company to have to plant the same site several years after harvest because the trees aren’t growing fast enough—at which point competing growth is a much more difficult problem. Companies may also be restricted from harvesting new areas until reforested sites have reached a “free to grow” stage of development. Because of these and other factors, natural regeneration is being used less and less in coastal forests. In 1990, it was prescribed about 50% of the time—but that number had dropped to 27% by 1996. Although precise figures are no longer calculated, it’s thought to be even less today.  Each year, forest companies plant more than 20 million seedlings to regenerate coastal forests. The process begins years before harvest, with the collection of cones—from which seeds are extracted and the seedlings grown. It is very important to use seeds that have been gathered from the same altitude and geographic region as the harvested area, so the new forest will be genetically adapted to the site. But a great deal of effort also goes into ensuring that planted areas grow more successfully than those left to naturally regenerate under the same conditions. As British Columbia has worked to complete its land use planning process, the land available for timber has decreased. At the same time, demand for wood products continues to grow. To meet this demand and maintain their economic contribution to the province, forest companies rely to a large degree on “improved” seedlings. Grown in orchards in the same ecological zones as the harvested areas, improved seedlings are bred from parent trees that have superior traits such as fast growth, high wood quality, and pest or disease resistance. Using improved seedlings can increase the volume of the new forest by 10-20%. The province requires companies to use improved seed if an orchard exists in the region, and has a stated goal of growing 75% of all seedlings from improved seed by 2007. Between 2001 and 2003, 78% of the seed collected on the coast came from orchards and 22% from wild stands. When seedlings are 2-3 years old, they’re ready for planting. Fertilizer is sometimes added to the planting hole to increase growth in the first few years, but more important are the specially trained crews. In order for the seedlings to survive, they must be evenly spaced and planted at the right depth. |
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