Planting conifers Planting conifers for rehabilitation requires more flexibility and perhaps more stringent planting practices than would be used in planting most cutover areas. Advantages of planting conifers for rehabilitation Planting conifers offers the most direct route to a forest of anticipated commercial value. Stock and seed are readily available. Seed-rich debris may serve as both seed source and mulch. Rapid growth of conifers mitigates visual impacts associated with soil disturbances.
Conifers have greater root strength for slope stabilization than grasses or legumes.
Forest floors and site-nutrient pools are restored more slowly than with other vegetation types. Root systems are coarse compared to those of some other types of vegetation and are therefore not the best for controlling erosion or restoring soil structure. Commercial planting densities are often too low to provide optimum rehabilitation effects such as erosion control or nutrient capture. Bioengineering in rehabilitation refers to the use of living plants to create structures, usually to control erosion or stabilize slopes. Bioengineering techniques involve the very intensive use of relatively large pieces of living material.