The planting site should be prepared to be ready for planting without delay before the arrival of seedlings. Site preparation demands intensive activities because site preparation is directed towards giving the seedlings a good start with rapid establishment of seedlings in the early stage. In general, the methods used to achieve site preparation will vary with the type of vegetation, site condition, amount and distribution of rainfall, presence or absence of impermeable layers in the soil, the need for protection from desiccating winds, and scale of the planting operations. Additionally, the value of the tree to be grown is important in determining the amount of expense that may be justified in plantation establishment.
By the end of the topic, you should be able to:
Remember and recognize the concept of site preparation.
Explain the importance of site preparation.
Illustrate the factors influencing the site preparation.
Identify and summarize the methods for site preparation.
Internalize the professional attitude towards the site preparation.
Readings
Required Readings
Evans, J., & Turnbull, J. W. (1992). Plantation Forestry in the Tropics: The Role, Silviculture, and Use of Planted Forests for Industrial, Social, Environmental, and Agroforestry Purposes. OUP Oxford.
Supplementary Materials (Optional)
Kenneth, M. (1984). Plantation Establishment and Management. In. Agroforestry In- service training. A Training Aid for Asia and the Pacific Islands. Peace Corps.
Site preparation is intensive activity to remove a competing vegetation or unwanted shrubs, trees, and logging debris, and prepare the soil to promote the establishment of seedlings in an early stage, promote the growth in the long terms of planted species, and also set up the fire protection and logistics measures for the plantation. There are many methods of site preparation that fall under human labour, chemical, mechanical site preparation or mixed. The primary objective is to have an area suitable for planting and establishing a new stand of planted tree species. Site preparation prescriptions are based on a stand by stand basis that evaluates existing competition, debris on the site, and soil. The purposes of site preparation are as follows:
Remove weeds and other vegetation from the site.
Promote soil texture to absorb moisture and rainfall resulting to increase soil moisture content and consequently to the better growth of seedlings.
Promote soil fertility for establishment of seedlings at the early stage of planting.
Minimized the risk from fire.
Provide comfortable logistic arrangements into and from the planting site, including transportation of seedlings from nursery to planting site, patrol the planting site, ease accessibilities to the site, ease plantation management, and logging operation.
Now take a little time to complete an online self-check quiz after finishing required readings and viewing each lecture for this topic. The main purpose of the quiz is for you to self check how well you grasp the fundamental concepts covered in the required readings and lectures for this topic. You will have 5 mins to complete the quiz. You can attempt as many times as you like until you get the full mark.
When you are ready, click the link Self-check Quiz 3.1 or go to left menu > Quizzes > Self-check Quiz 3.1 to start taking the quiz
You are expected to summarize and express your views on the current learning topic or reading materials and respond to your peers’ questions regarding the topic. When a question can't be answered by your peers, the instructor will involve in the discussion.
In this online discussion, we don't have a fixed question to discuss, but it comes from your participate in. Each of you is expected to:
Post/Summarize what you learned from readings and presentations by end of Day 3 of the week.
Comment on/Respond to at least two of your peers’ posts by end of Day 7 of the week.
We hope you can actively participate in online discussions, because only by understanding your mastery of the course content, the instructor can guide your learning better.
About how to organize or participate in the group discussion and the grading, please refer to the detailed descriptions of Assignment Overview and Online Class Discussions.
Please notice the deadline and be sure to keep several general netiquette guidelines in mind when you participate in the online discussions.
Site preparation comprises two main field activities: removal of the existing vegetation to reduce and/or eliminate competition and ground preparation to improve water retention and provide optimal soil conditions for the plantation’s initial phase. Four methods can be used for vegetation clearance: manual, mechanical, by burning or use of weedicides. For site preparation after vegetation has been cleared, different methods also exist, such as pioneer ploughing, subsoiling, pre-planting harrowing, planting pits and terracing.
Self Review (For self learning)
Please use the self-reflection questions below as a study guide to conduct self-review for the topic:
What is site preparation?
Explain the importance of site preparation?
How to conduct site preparation?
FODE007
Requirements Changed
Module III Introduction Topic 3.2: Plantation Establishment and Management