The sooner reforestation occurs after logging......the fewer the problems that tend to occur during establishment.  Time delays can be very costly in many ways and can far out-weigh the costs of good planting spot preparation.

The boiled potato theory.  North Americans consume a lot of potatoes.  We often boil the potatoes in water....when cooked we remove the starchy potato and pour the bulk of the nutrients down the sink, a waste.  We work with what is left (We are willing to swallow tradition?).

I believe that there is a parallel analogy here.  We have some fairly large clearcuts which sometimes sit too long.  We watch the site productivity go down the drain, as waste!!!

I believe that to avoid this problem, I think there should be a much shorter time lapse before planting than is commonly accepted.  If on 90% of our larger clearcuts we lost 5% of our site capability annually for the first three years, there would be a staggering dollar loss from one single factor.  My point is simple, it is not as critically important that we recognize our losses as our focus is to doing the best we can do. See photo #6 in pictures section.

Good quality planting stock combined with good quality planting, site preparation and weed control are the keys towards obtaining a successful plantation.

Determining and ranking site limiting factors in adjacent plantations with consideration to unproven theories is a significant problem in determining an action plan.

After the discovery of ice on the moon, we again know that with billions of dollars, one can prove almost anything imaginable.  If these dollars had been spent on world forests, would all mankind be better for it.....forever?  All the research, graphs and statistics we do is appreciated, but will never replace common sense in it's application.  With technology making life constantly easier, fewer of us are involved with the day to day growing of the plants.  Therefore, common sense becomes diluted without continuous efforts to restate the basics.

The most significant problem in establishing plantations still is planting quality. A sustained effort to improve the ground conditions so that tree planters can place the planting tool readily into the ground, getting tree roots straight and at proper depth, is and will be very important.

Technically, planting spot preparation methods can be confusing.  Choosing the most cost efficient method is challenging.  The VH Mulcher was designed to do a thorough job of addressing all the attributes necessary to grow a tree.  When listing all the site limiting factors which one wishes to improve on, the value of those potential improvements should be tallied.  Difficulty arises when proof of likely success is required.  Often research can help.   Unfortunately, research can be site specific and difficult to extrapolate across a range of sites.

For example, abnormal weather (hail storms, snow storms, wind storms) every twenty-five to fifty years may occur in a research location and not be recognized in five year growth studies comparing two different sites.  The VH Mulcher incorporates more beneficial factors than any other site preparation device which makes it more complex to understand but makes it more universal in application.

If it walks like a duck.....talks like a duck....chances are...it's a duck!  The first step farmers make in establishing a crop of any kind is to examine if the soil is capable of supporting it.  In field operations, do we do this??  Most often the site is logged and reforestation is decided, but what are the next steps?  With the VH Mulcher one has the opportunity to repair or enhance soil, and to choose microsite position to assist early rapid growth.

Preparation Principles and Technical information. See photo #8