SP663 Tree Planting Procedure for Small, Bare-Root Seedings

Tree seedlings receive foremost care while growing in a managed nursery: fertile soil; ample moisture; and weed, insect and disease control. Lifting seedlings out of this comfort zone shocks them. Consider: they are dislodged from the soil; their roots are often torn; they are handled several times; they are packaged, shipped, exposed to wind and heat, and placed in planting bags or machine buckets; their roots are unveiled to open air; and they are often replanted in harsh soil where they are left to high temperatures with the hope of adequate precipitation for sustenance through the first few growing seasons.