Mechanical Site Preparation and Tree Planting 

Site preparation prepares the land for planting, direct seeding or natural regeneration.  Using machinery to prepare sites and plant trees often exposes soil, so you need to proceed carefully to avoid impacts on water quality.

Common site preparation techniques include residue removal, herbicide applications, scarification, disking and roto-tilling.  Select a technique based on specific site characteristics including soil, topography, vegetation, access and distance to surface waters.

· Operate mechanical site-preparation and tree-planting equipment on the contour to minimize erosion into waterbodies.

· Suspend operations during wet periods if equipment begins to cause excessive soil disturbance that will increase erosion into waterbodies.

· Deposit site preparation residues in stable locations outside streamside management areas.

· Use patch scarification, selective herbicides applications or low-intensity prescribed burns on sites that have steep slopes, erodible soils or saturated soils and on sites that drain to surface water.

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