Bedding is a common site preparation practice in the coastal plain of the southeastern US, especially in wet soils where seasonal flooding can cause seedling mortality. Most loblolly pine plantations on "flatwoods" sites are bedded. Beds are continuous, raised planting berms created with a plow. There is another site prep technique known as "mounding" which has seen some limited use in the southeastern US, especially in the establishment of longleaf pine seedlings on National Forests, but in some other situations as well. The limited amount of literature I've seen on mounding leads me to believe it is most common in boreal regions such as Canada and Scandinavia. Mounding creates a discrete, raised, planting spot suitable for one tree seedling, usually by scooping, displacing, and inverting a quantity of soil. While bedding and mounding both create raised planting spots and have some of the same advantages, they are very different techniques, conducted with very different machinery. I wonder if any listmembers have experience or exposure to both, and could answer any of the following questions, or point me toward some literature that could... 1. Do foresters in northern climes prefer mounding to bedding, and if so, why? 2. Under what soil conditions is mounding most likely to result in frost-heave of planted seedlings? I've seen/heard reference to this as a potential hazard in the North, and know of one such instance in the southeastern US. 3. Is there any scientific literature that compares mounding to bedding in terms of (a) seedling growth and survival, (b) hydrology or wetlands concerns, (c) biodiversity concerns? Post any replies directly to me; I will summarize and post to the list. Thank you, Wade Harrison Summerville SC 72053.3000@compuserve.com
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