Mechanical Site Preparation for Forestry in Mississippi

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Site preparation is a general term used to describe silvicultural treatments applied to logging debris, vegetation, the forest floor, or soil to make the site suitable for regeneration. Two different categories of site preparation are used in forestry: chemical and mechanical. Chemical site preparation involves applying herbicides to control vegetation that could compete with planted seedlings. This practice is probably more familiar to most forest landowners today than mechanical work, which was more prevalent before the advent of affordable forest herbicides. Chemical site preparation is cheaper to implement than mechanical treatments and has less potential for damaging the site. Therefore, chemical site preparation is used much more extensively than mechanical methods.

Nevertheless, mechanical site preparation may be necessary to correct certain physical site issues. These include residual debris, poor drainage, compaction, and rutting. Since mechanical site preparation may involve the physical disturbance of soils, understanding its effects on site productivity is essential. Mechanical site preparation techniques are still used in some situations because they can achieve a particular goal that chemical site preparation alone cannot. This publication will discuss both pros and cons of mechanical treatments for site preparation in Mississippi. Treatment expenses are estimated based on average costs in the southeastern United States. This publication also covers the soil resource, mowing, shearing, chopping, disking, subsoiling, bedding, and combination plowing.

Mechanical site preparation can be useful for regeneration efforts, though often cost-prohibitive. Choose methods on a case-by-case basis based on site conditions, correction techniques, and budget—consult a forestry professional. For answers to specific questions, contact your local Extension office.

The information given here is for educational purposes only. References to commercial products, trade names, or suppliers are made with the understanding that no endorsement is implied and that no discrimination against other products or suppliers is intended.

Publication 3006 (POD-01-26)

By Brady Self, PhD, Extension Professor, Forestry.