Many landowners are reluctant to plant new woodlands or expand existing ones because it takes so long to see the results. But insuring woodlands for the future is of paramount importance, even if those who planted them won't see the final results for years. Proper planning for establishing woodland promotes habitat development at the fastest possible rate. And of course shrub thickets and shrubby fencerow habitat will develop faster than forest habitat.

What type of cover should you establish? Consider the woody cover types mentioned earlier in this chapter.

Determining what type of woody cover to plant depends on your objectives and the type of site you have. It is useful to determine what type of woody cover may have been present historically on or near your property.

Your specific objectives will dictate whether you plant a diversity of woody cover types or just one type. For high habitat diversity, you can use a combination of 5% to 20% shrubby cover, 5% to 70% evergreen cover, and 20% to 90% deciduous cover. However, since evergreen-dominated woodland is not a common natural community type in Illinois, we recommend that you limit coniferous plantings to a maximum of one-acre blocks. If you are managing for forest-interior species by trying to reduce forest fragmentation and your planting is "filling in" part of a larger forested tract, plant mostly deciduous trees with only an occasional conifer or shrub.

What Species to Plant

Once you have chosen what type of woody habitat to establish, you need to select species. This again largely depends on your site. Many trees and shrubs tolerate a wide range of conditions and will grow almost anywhere they are planted. But many species, while they may initially grow and look healthy, will develop problems if not planted on an appropriate site. For example, landscape plantings of pin oaks often do poorly. Pin oaks planted in alkaline soil, which includes many of the prairie soils, often suffer from a condition known as "foliar chlorosis." Leaves of affected trees turn yellow, and in a severe case the tree may die. Plant trees on appropriate sites. This promotes landscape health as well as re-creating some semblance of the original Illinois landscape. Refer back to the restoration guide early in this chapter for characteristic species in each woodland community type.

Spacing and Number of Plants

Once you've decided what species to plant, you can determine spacing. Deciduous tree} are typically planted in twelve-by-twelve-foot spacing. To mimic a more relaxed natural aesthetic, you can plant trees in a somewhat random manner. But keep in mind the area needed per tree to supply sunlight, water, and nutrients. Evergreens in a windbreak can be planted up to twenty feet apart; for a grove they can be planted as close as eight feet. Savannas were generally made up of scattered individual trees or clusters of trees; a random pattern with a spacing of twenty to fifty feet will help create savanna-like conditions. Shrubs generally require a four- to six-foot spacing for sufficient density. These spacing recommendations take into account the fact that in any planting a certain number of plants will die before maturity.

Another planting method that can be particularly effective is direct seeding of acorns and other tree seeds. The natural method of regeneration-trees growing from seed without being transplanted from their germination site-can often provide the best results for establishing a forest, savanna, or fencerow. Seedlings germinated on site will often do better than transplants. For information on seed selection, seeding rates, care, and planting, see Growing Illinois Trees from Seed in the suggested reading list at the end of this chapter.

Obtaining Plants

Unless you have a lot of time and money, the most practical way to do large plantings of small trees and shrubs is to use bare-root seedling stock. Potted or balled-and-burlapped trees and shrubs are expensive, can take considerable planting time, and require more care after they're planted.

By having your management plan written or approved by an Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) biologist or forester, you can obtain no-cost, bare-root seedlings. (However, the seedlings are sometimes limited, so you may not get all the trees or shrubs you need the first year you are ready to plant.) A limited selection of seedlings is also available from many Soil and Water Conservation Districts (SWCD) in spring and autumn. Bare-root stock is also available from mail-order nurseries and some local nurseries. When buying from commercial nurseries, be sure you're buying species native to Illinois.

Acorns, hickory nuts, and other tree seeds may be collected from local trees. This option insures that your source is local and that the resulting trees are suited to your planting location. If you can't collect your seed or are planting a large site, you can also buy tree seed commercially.

If you are planting a small area and prefer to see your seedlings before placing them on the site, try raising your own in pots from acorns or other seed.

Planting Methods

If you are planting up to 500 tree and shrub seedlings or you have several people to help you plant larger quantities, you can use a tree-planting bar to accomplish the job. Figure 4.1 illustrates its recommended use. For plantings of more than 500, a tree-planting machine may be more efficient. To use a tree-planting machine, you must have seedling-sized bare-root stock.

Tree-planting machines are available for loan or hire from certain IDNR offices, SWCD offices, and local nurseries. A tractor is needed to pull the machine. If you don't have a tractor, the Farm Bureau or Natural Resources Conservation Service can suggest local farmers with tractors for hire. You can also hire a tree-planting contractor to do the entire job.

Acorns and other seeds may be planted by hand with a small spade or shovel. But, again, if large quantities arc involved, a planting machine is much more efficient. Acorn planters may be available at some IDNR offices or from local tree-planting contractors.

Prepare a Site for Planting

To prepare your woodland planting site, eliminate existing vegetation when possible, either by tillage or with herbicide. Treat four foot-wide strips where seedlings will be planted to provide a jumpstart for the young trees and shrubs. Woody plants have difficulty competing with sod. Besides competing vigorously for moisture and nutrients, some grass species are actually "allelopathic," meaning they prevent other plants from surviving near them by producing chemicals that inhibit other species' growth.

In some situations existing vegetation should not be entirely removed from a planting site. If the site is highly erodible, consider removing the existing vegetation only where each tree or shrub will be planted. And don't completely remove vegetation from sites composed of sandy soil or situated on exposed ridgetops or bluffs where winds will continually dry the ground. The loss of moisture through evaporation is actually more of a threat than the competition that existing vegetation poses to new seedlings, and some existing ground cover will help retain moisture on a dry site.

If you are using an acorn-planting machine, you must till the site before planting. Using the machine in thick sad or weeds will usually clog it, making planting i possible. If the site is highly erodible or dry, try tilling in strips across the slope rather than plowing up the entire field. This practice minimizes erosion.

If you are hand-planting with a tree-planting bar, you can plant into existing ground cover, although it is usually easier in bare soil. Figure 4.1 shows the proper root placement of seedlings. In sandy soil, if the soil is finely tilled and very dry, planting can be difficult because the sand slides back down and fills the slot before you can position the seedling. The easiest solution is to plantafter a rain, when moisture will help hold the sandy soil together.

Seedling Care

If bare-root seedlings arrive in a sealed bag, leave it closed until you are ready to plant. The seedlings can survive for five or six days in these bags as long as they are kept in a cool, shady place.

If you cannot plant the seedlings within a week, you have two alternatives for temporarily protecting them. You may put the unopened bag into a refrigerator, or you may remove the seedlings, separate the bundles, and "heel them in" to soil. Heeling in is accomplished by digging a trench deep enough to completely bury the roots, placing all the plants close to each other, and covering them with a layer of soil. Try to dig the trench in shade and near a water source so you can water the plants. Plants can be refrigerated or heeled in for a few weeks, but seedlings need to be planted by early May at the latest to survive summer heat and dryness.

Never allow the roots of seedlings to dry out or they will soon die. When you start planting, keep the plants in a bucket of water, but not for longer than six hours because the plants may suffocate.

Protecting New Plantings

Newly planted trees and shrubs face numerous threats. Every care should be taken to insure optimal growing conditions for your new plants.

Visibility. Mark seedlings for easy relocation: tie bright treemarking ribbon on plants, or place wire-stake flags near them (or at least near the plant rows). Leave mowing room between seedling rows and nearby woods, fields, fences, and so on. Don't guess measure! More plantings fail because of poor weed control and the inability to easily find plants than for any other reasons.

Weed and grass control. Weeds can quickly rise to heights well above young tree or shrub seedlings, preventing light from penetrating and using up moisture and nutrients. Sod-forming grass can he a threat even more serious than most broadleaf weeds. Particularly threatening are thick grasses like fescue and brome, which not only compete for moisture and nutrients but can actually inhibit growth by "strangling" the seedlings above and below the ground. In addition, fescue is thought to exhibit allelopathic effects on surrounding plants by releasing chemicals that inhibit other plants' establishment and growth.

Mowing, mulching (where practical), and applying herbicides can all provide excellent weed control. Where grasses are thick, elimination by herbicide plus subsequent tillage may be the best choice. And in sandy soils or in any site during a drought year, some shading herbaceous cover around a new tree or shrub seedling can actually offer protection by retaining ground moisture and slowing moisture loss through leaves or needles.

Moisture. It is usually impractical to water large plantings of trees or shrubs. But if an unusually long drought occurs and you do have the means to water, identify the healthiest plants and water as many of those as possible.

Animal damage. Depending on seedling type and planting location, animals can pose serious threats to stand success. Mice and voles will gnaw on bark, and rabbits and deer will snip off the tops of seedlings. A number of chemical and mechanical repellents have been researched and found to have varying effectiveness. IDNR can provide details on types of repellents. If animal damage is a serious problem, try doing a little less weed control or mowing weeds higher to help hide young seedlings from browsing animals. For a planting of several acres, you may have to accept animal damage as part of the natural mortality of any stand of seedlings.

Tubular tree shelters can protect tree and shrub plantings and boost seedlings' growth by collecting moisture and concentrating sunlight. Though expensive, they may be well worth their cost. An alternative that requires less money but more of your preparation time is to remove the tops and bottoms of plastic two-liter soda bottles and place those around new seedlings. Two may be stacked together for more protection. These will offer an early advantage but not the long-term protection afforded by commercial tubular shelters.