Ole T. Helgerson

If you are planning reforestation activities for this next winter and spring, you might want to give some thought about the tools that get the seedlings in the ground and whether you are planting seedlings yourself or hiring a contractor. Planning now can save wear and tear on your body and help ensure your seedlings have the best start possible.

Three main types of tools are available: shovels, planting hoes (hoedads or hoedags), and planting bars and dibbles. There has been much discussion about the relative merits of each type of planting tool. Selecting the right tool depends on three things: seedling type, soil conditions and the physical ability of the tree planter. Table 1 will help you select the right tool for your planting job.

From the seedling's perspective, a tree planting tool needs to do two very essential things:

(1) it should make a hole large enough so the seedling can be inserted deeply enough without jamming, bending or twisting the roots; and

(2) it should be able to eliminate any air pockets in the planting hole, thus ensuring suitable root-soil contact.

Table 1.

Tool Types	Soil Type & Terrain	Seedling Type	Tree Planter Perspective
Shovels (hoedads or hoedags)	Most; better on rocky ground than hoedads	Small to large; can be sized to seedling; best tool for big 2+1, 2+2, 3+0 seedlings	Uses leg power, good for planters lacking upper body strength; can use entire body weight to force shovel in soil
Planting hoes	Most; more difficult on rocky ground than shovels or dibbles; can clean planting spot with side of blade	Small to large, can be sized to seedling	Uses shoulders and back to throw hoe into soil; once in soil on steep ground, can lean on hoe handle to force blade deeper; faster on friable soil
Bars and dibbles	Pointed bars best in rocky or hard soils;	Best for plugs, other seedlings with smaller roots	Maybe easiest on shoulders, legs and back

As Table 1 indicates, there is enough variation within shovels, hoes and dibbles so that the correct tool can be selected for the job at hand. Among shovels, suitably large regular garden shovels can work for planting small numbers of seedlings in loose soil. Special tree planting shovels with reinforced blades and handles, however, are best suited for larger jobs, bigger seedlings and rockier soils.

Planting hoes vary in blade length, blade curvature and handle bracket angle. It is most important to select a blade length long enough for the seedlings being planted. According to one area supplier catalog (Terra Tech, Eugene, Ore.), the concave blade is popular due to its depth advantages and ability to keep soil from sliding into the hole, whereas straight blades shed sticky soil better. For planting on flatter ground, many tree planters prefer a more open 100 degree handle bracket, while a 90 degree bracket works best on steep ground. Compared to shovels or dibbles, hoes are versatile in that the side of the blade can be sharpened and used to clean organic debris from the surface of the planting spot, ensuring that only clean soil ends up around the seedling's roots.

How about gasoline-powered augers? They can plant seedlings well because of the large hole and loosened soil. Their disadvantages are that they are heavy, expensive and not well suited to very rocky ground. From the seedling's perspective, concerns are that if the seedling is not planted soon after the hole is excavated, the soil may dry, and that in clay soils, some auger types can case-harden or glaze the walls of the hole, thus blocking seedling root growth.

What's the bottom line? Each type of planting tool can do a good job depending on seedlings, soils and planters. Work to ensure you pick one that's compatible with your seedling's requirements. For costs and specific details on tree planting equipment, contact your local forestry equipment supplier.

Note: Some material in this article was adapted from the Terra Tech (International Reforestation Suppliers) catalog. Mention of any trade names does not constitute endorsement by Washington State University.

Ole T. Helgerson is a Washington State University area extension forester located in Stevenson, Wash.

This article appeared in the Northwest Woodlands Magazine, Fall 2000- Published quarterly by the World Forestry Center as a benefit of membership in the Oregon Small Woodlands Association, Washington Farm Forestry Association, Idaho Forest Owners Association and Montana Forest Owners Association.