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TREE PLANTING
When to Plant
Ideally, trees are planted during the dormant season – in the fall after leaf drop or in early spring before bud break. Weather conditions are cool and allow plants to establish roots in the new location before spring rains and summer heat stimulate new top growth. Order your stock well enough in advance of planting time to avoid finding that your source has “dried up” for the season.
Reforestation Sites
(Where to plant your trees)
Where to plant may be one of the more difficult decisions facing you at the start of your project. Planting on private property, with the consent of the owner, is problematic from the standpoint of answering the question why a non-profit is conducting a project that benefits a particular individual as opposed to the general public. But one cannot just arbitrarily start planting trees on public property without permission. This may mean making a presentation or proposal to civic leaders in charge of public lands. Do some research before getting too far along on your project and looks for potential planting sites in the area. Vacant fields that could be turned into local parks, areas polluted by past industrial operations, and urban areas in need of “beautification” are some possibilities. College campuses may also be willing participants in a tree planting project and may actually become partners. Check to see if local colleges are enrolled in the Arbor Day Foundation’s Tree Campus program.
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Hand-On Info (The mechanics of planting)
Planting trees is not difficult; it just requires some attention to the needs of the young seedlings. A simplified set of instructions can be found here. More detailed instructions can be found on the DEC site, How to plant a tree. Or watch the YouTube video.
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