Agriculture and Environment: Wood Pulp

Better Management Practices: Improve Planting and Replanting Techniques

While clearing forest areas for plantations, any plant material from the clearing process (such as felled trees and branches) should be pushed into rows that follow the contours of slopes on the site.

In this way, the material forms barriers to minimize soil erosion and hold moisture; the barriers also retain organic matter and nutrients that are released over time as the materials decompose. Such windrows help protect soil even on nonsloping sites.

Areas that are being reclaimed from degraded agricultural land or pasture need to be planted to crops that build up the soil before any tree seedlings are planted. Careful choice of cover crops will increase overall organic matter, add nitrogen, and cover and hold the soil to reduce erosion.

Many companies plant rows of seedlings by hand in soil that is minimally prepared. They have found that minimizing the disturbance of soil during planting saves them money and reduces the need for fertilizers. Minimizing soil disturbance maintains microorganism communities in the soil, which in turn encourages healthier and more rapid root development. It also preserves the mulch and leaf litter on the surface, which protects the vitality of soil and retains moisture.