Tree Planting Guide for Glastir Woodland Creation August 2015

Tree Planting Guide for Glastir Woodland Creation August 2015

Contents

1.Introduction...... 2

2. Glastir Woodland Creation grant scheme...... 3

3. What is involved – overview...... 5

4. Planning the work...... 6

4.1 Working out your budget...... 6

4.2 Timing of the work...... 6

4.3 Getting your planting team together...... 7

4.4 The planting season...... 8

5 Ordering trees and materials...... 9

5.1 Ordering trees...... 9

5.2 Types of tree stock...... 10

6 Tree protection

7 Stock exclusion

8. Ground preparation and weed control

8.1 Is ground preparation needed?

8.2 Dealing with weeds...... 18

8.2.1 Chemical herbicides...... 19

8.2.2 Mulches

8.2.3 Physical control of weeds

8.2.4 Other types of weeds

9. Planting the trees

9.1 Taking delivery of trees and storage

9.2 Marking out the site

9.3 Planting mixtures

9.4 Equipment

9.5 Planting technique

9.6 Guards and tree shelters

10. Aftercare……………………………………………………………………………………….29

10.1 Weeding...... 29

10.2 Monitoring...... 29

10.3 Beating-up

10.4 Respacing

10.5 Pruning…………………………………………………………………………………....

10.6 Thinning

11 References

12 Appendices

12.1 Appendix 1: Checklist

12.2 Appendix 2: Glastir Woodland Creation fencing specification

12.3 Appendix 3: Guide for using New Planting site monitoring template

12.4 Appendix 4: Guide for using New Planting site monitoring template...... 38

1. Introduction

You may think tree planting is pretty straightforward – and, if you’re only planting a couple of trees, that’s true but planting hundreds or thousands of trees are a different matter.

This guidance is aimed at woodland creation schemes of over a quarter of a hectare – that’s 0.6 acres, and would typically mean planting at least 400 trees, although a lot of the details are applicable to smaller areas as well. It’s a general guide, and is based on the range of site types which occur in rural Wales.

The purpose of this guidance is to help you to get your planting scheme right first time. It explains what you need to do, and – crucially – when you need to do it. It gives advice on what makes a successful planting scheme and will show you how to avoid the common problems.

It does not go into the pros and cons of establishing a woodland or look in any detail at the subject of woodland design; instead, it assumes that you already know what you are going to establish, and deals with how you are doing to do it.

This document does not cover other tree planting situations such as gardens, hedges, orchards, street trees etc. Please be especially aware that tree planting in the vicinity of buildings and roads is a specialist topic, and is not covered here.

Managing your planting scheme…
…how much of the work can you do yourself?
Throughout this guidance we’ll provide tables like this to help you decide.
Doing the work yourself / Using contractors
Have a look through this guidance, and give some serious consideration to whether you want to plan and manage the planting scheme yourself.
There’s nothing stopping you from managing the scheme and organising all the work – but you will need to pick up some skills, and it will take time and effort.
You have the option of planning the work yourself, but calling in contractors to do specific jobs such as planting and herbicide spraying.
The larger the scheme, the more you might like to engage someone to organise the work for you. / You may choose to employ a forestry company or independent consultant to manage the planting on your behalf.
If you are in the Glastir Woodland Creation scheme, your woodland planner is a useful contact - they may be willing to take on the work or able to recommend a colleague in your area.
You will need to discuss with them the scope of their responsibilities and can agree from the outset whether they’re responsible for ordering the trees, organising contractors etc. and whether this includes follow-up treatment after planting (e.g. herbicide spraying in years 2 and 3).
It’s important to be clear and have an agreement in writing regarding the cost of their services, and when payment will be made.

This guidance is designed for anyone planting a woodland but it will be of particular use to applicants to the Welsh Government’s Glastir Woodland Creation grant scheme - see the Glastir Woodland Creation page on the Welsh Government website.

In this scheme, a professional woodland planner designs the planting scheme and will provide maps and details of the required tree species composition. Tips which are of particular relevance to the Glastir Woodland Creation scheme are shown in blue outlined boxes in each section, like this one:

Glastir Woodland Creation

The Glastir application process involves checking for constraints on the site, including conservation features and archaeological significance. Woodland planners discuss these issues with applicants and ensure they are considered appropriately. This booklet does not describe these aspects of site planning.

Many excellent publications are available about woodland design and silviculture, some of which are available free online. We hope that many people will find the information useful – but please remember to seek professional forestry advice if necessary for your own situation.

2. Glastir Woodland Creation grant scheme

The first stage in the process of tree planting is to register as a customer with Rural Payments Wales at Welsh Government and receive a Customer Reference Number (CRN). You must also register your land with the Welsh Government Land Parcel Identification System (LPIS).

If you want to apply for a Glastir Woodland Creation grant, you need to put in an Expression of Interest (EoI) - the Welsh Government Glastir Woodlands website will inform you when an EoI window is open.

If you are acting as an agent in behalf of an applicant, you need to register as an Agent with the Rural Payments Agency Wales and you will receive an Agent Customer Reference Number RPW Online Activation Code.

For more information, see the Glastir Woodland Creation rules booklet -

3. What is involved – overview

4. Planning the work

Before doing anything – or spending any money – it’s a good idea to sit down with a pen and paper, and make sure you’re clear about what needs to be done when and by whom.

We’ve included a checklist in the Appendix which is designed to be used on your computer. It includes a column for “who” because we’ve found that one of the most common reasons for the failure of a planting scheme is misunderstanding about who is responsible for a particular job. The person in overall charge of the planting scheme should ensure that everybody involved in the work understands what they’re expected to do, well in advance, and that they’re able to do the work.

4.1 Working out your budget

The checklist will also help you to start planning the finances of the scheme, which can be critically important, especially if you are planting a large area. It’s not possible to know exactly what all the costs will be in advance but it is possible to get a pretty good idea. If you have reasonable estimates for each part of the job before you begin, you can take steps to save money in some areas if the overall bill looks like being too high. It’s also possible to monitor progress once the work has begun, and take action early if something looks like going over-budget.

When planning the budget, try to keep some funds back to deal with problems which may arise. For example, bad weather may increase the time needed for the planting operation, or you may have difficulties obtaining particular tree stock or equipment.

Claiming your grant

- You do need to ensure that the work has been done correctly in compliance with the Glastir Woodland Creation scheme rules.

- Glastir Woodland Creation grants can only be claimed after the work is completed.

- Fencing grants may be claimed as separate operations from the planting ie before the main planting grant but you must ensure the fences are in place before claiming that grant.

- You do not need to produce receipts or invoices when making your grant claim.

4.2 Timing of the work

Obviously you’ll need to know how long each piece of work is expected to take. This in turn will depend on the availability of labour, the type of site, the weather and so on.

Again your written plan will help you with supervising the work, and allow you to correct problems as soon as they occur.

Grant claim deadline

- New planting grants must be claimed by the date in your Glastir Woodland Creation contract.

- New planting grants are claimed on a Glastir Woodland Creation scheme capital works form which is found on RPW (Rural Payments Wales) online. Glastir Woodland Creation

- Maintenance and Premium payments are claimed on the Single Application Form (SAF).

- Remember to build extra time into your planting plan so that an unexpected problem doesn’t cause you to miss the claim deadline.

A good way to write the plan is to work backwards from a target finish date. You would ordinarily want to finish the work a few days ahead of that, to ensure the claim paperwork is completed and returned in time. Then it’s a good idea to build in a couple of extra weeks, to allow some breathing space if there are any delays arising from the weather or unforeseen problems. The amount of extra time that’s advisable will vary considerably. On small schemes it may only need to be a few days, but if you’re dealing with a large scheme and /or you’re inexperienced with tree planting, allow more time!

Remember to consider other factors which may influence the feasibility of getting the work done in time. If you’re a farmer using agricultural labourers to help with planting work, will they be available to work during the peak of the lambing season? Forestry planting contractors can be in high demand at this time of year so don’t rely on being able to find back-up at short notice. There are two logical approaches to this problem: start the work earlier, or arrange for additional help in advance.

4.3 Getting your planting team together

Early on in the planning phase, consider who will be involved. If you’re intending to do the planting work yourself, think about asking family, friends or neighbours to help. A planting scheme is sometimes daunting for one person and it can be helpful to have some company. But make sure they know what’s involved, and be sure of their commitment in advance.

If you’ll be using contractors, remember to book their services as early as possible, and ensure you have a contract signed or work order agreed in writing. This should specify the nature of the work involved, when it will be done, and a deadline for completion (which should be comfortably before your actual completion deadline). Remember to be clear on whether any ground preparation, installation of tree guards, or weed control responsibilities are included in the work, and whether VAT will be charged.

If you have friendly neighbours who are also working on a planting scheme perhaps you could share experience and resources - e.g. machinery for ground preparation, labour for planting, weed control - and you may get a better deal on the planting stock if you combine your orders.

4.4 The planting season

Trees are usually planted over the colder months of the year. For most of Wales, the planting season is considered to run from October to April (inclusive, if weather conditions permit) and this can extended in the upland areas where conditions are generally cooler. There are likely to be periods of prolonged cold weather which will interfere with planting work (most likely between December and March). You should not plant when the ground is frozen. It’s impossible to specify an “ideal” timing for new planting, because so much depends on the tree species and stock type, the weather and even the aspect and altitude of your site.

Any living tree – whether a seedling in a nursery or a huge veteran – survives by a process of growth, involving uptake of water and nutrients from the soil, the generation of energy in the leaves and movement through the tree of water, dissolved nutrients and sugars. These processes are all interconnected and are dependent on one another, which is why mature trees can be killed by heavy-handed or untimely pruning or damaging major roots. In temperate climates like Wales, trees have a period of dormancy over the winter. In deciduous trees, the soft leaves which would make the tree vulnerable to winter cold and winds are shed, and the tree’s growth is effectively “shut down” for the winter. The dormancy period is largely true of conifers too, although the needle-like leaves of most conifers are able to withstand the winter and are not shed in the same seasonal pattern.

Lifting a tree from the nursery and re-planting it on site creates a lot of stress for a young plant and, if this were done in summer when the tree is in full leaf, it would probably die. By moving and planting young trees while they are dormant, the risk of damage is minimised. Trees need to take up a lot of water in spring to allow bud-burst and early growth of foliage. Crucially, the roots start to grow, using stored energy, before leaves appear. These new roots are important for the health and establishment of the young tree. Planting trees in winter allows the tree time for some root growth prior to bud-burst, when there is the greatest water demand. Planting in autumn can be even better, as it allows two periods of relatively warm soil for root growth while there is low water demand from the leaves.

Timing tree planting: DO’s and DON’Ts

DO:

- Consider the type of stock you’re planting in view of its timing constraints (Section 5.2)

- Aim to ensure maximum time for root development before bud-burst

- Take advice on timing from a forestry professional or your tree nursery if you’re unsure

- Plan to do as much of the work as possible early in the season (between October and December) – this minimises the risk of disruption from the weather.

- Consider using cell- or container-grown plants if you need to extend the planting season (Section 5.2). Trees kept in cold storage (to preserve dormancy) can also be planted later.

DON’T:

- Plant into frozen ground.

- Plant during long periods of dry winter weather.

- Plant bare-rooted stock later than early May

- Rely on planting large areas late in the season

- Forget the grant claim deadline

By now, you should be thinking in terms of a target “deadline” for completion of your own planting work. In order to complete the planning work, we’ll now describe the other things you’ll need to consider.

5 Ordering trees and materials

It’s sensible to order trees and other materials as early as you possibly can. That way you should avoid any shortages during the planting season, when demand is very high. You will need to specify to the nursery when you need the trees and other items, and where you would like them to be delivered.

5.1 Ordering trees

Planting stock can bought from commercial tree nurseries. Trees are sold in a range of sizes and types (see Section 5.2). There is a range of suppliers to choose from, ranging from large UK wide companies to small local businesses. It’s worth browsing websites and phoning a number of companies before placing your order.

Local companies may be able to give you helpful advice in relation to your site, and provide trees grown from locally-sourced seed. Nationwide companies may be cheaper (depending on the type of trees you buy) and may be more flexible with large orders at short notice. You’ll usually find that the price per tree goes down significantly on bigger orders. The price will also vary according to the type and size of stock you buy (see below for details). Nurseries will be able to arrange delivery for you.

Young trees are fragile and vulnerable to damage from rough handling between the nursery and their final planting site. It’s advisable to get the trees delivered to the site where they are to be used or as close to it as possible. This avoids time-consuming (and exhausting) double-handling of trees and greatly reduces the chance of damage.

Smaller planting stock is best for woodland creation

This is because it has a better “root-to-shoot” ratio, meaning that there will be a lot of roots and relatively few branches and leaves. Consequently, the trees are more likely to establish successfully, and once established they will be more firmly-rooted, and grow faster, than trees which are planted out as larger stock.

The good news is that smaller trees are also cheaper to buy, easier and quicker to plant, and require less staking than larger plants. You should generally aim to buy forestry-sized planting stock, between 25 and 45cm, and avoid trees larger than 60cm.