A history of transplanting
Landis, Thomas D. | Scholtes, John R.
A brief history of twentieth century transplanting at forest nurseries is presented, including many historical photographs. Transplanting was the normal method of producing plants for reforestation in the first half of the 20th century, and the operation was all done by hand or with rudimentary horse-drawn machinery. Seeds were broadcast sown, the seedlings grown for 1 to 2 years, harvested, and then transplanted at lower growing densities. Starting in the 1940s, mechanical transplanters were converted for use in forest nurseries. During the 1960s, forest nurseries began to switch to seedlings due to the high labor cost of transplanting; cultural improvements allowed production of seedlings with the characteristics of transplants. Precision sowing allowed ideal seedbed density and undercutting produced seedlings with vigorous root systems and thick caliper. In the last 10 to 15 years, however, transplants have returned to favor because of the demand for a large vigorous seedling that can compete with vegetation on outplanting sites and meet the new "Free-to-Grow" reforestation requirements. A new stock type, the plug + one, was developed by growing a small volume container seedling and transplanting it into a bareroot bed for another year of growth. The 1+1 stock type also gained popularity, and together they comprise up to 90% of the stock types produced in some northwestern US nurseries.
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