Planting Planting provides the greatest opportunities for genetic improvement if seedlings are produced from parent trees of known superiority. Improvements in genetic quality can be for growth, insect or disease resistance, form, wood quality, frost or drought resistance or many other characteristics. Planting also lets you change species from those currently in the natural stand. Past logging practices or natural disturbances can greatly alter the species present at regeneration time. These species may not be desirable for natural seeding for ecological or economical reasons.
Planting imposes fewer restrictions on harvest methods, equipment and timing.
The harvest can be planned to occur in any year and the seedling availability can be scheduled to coincide. In contrast, natural seeding success depends on harvest activities that coincide with a good seed year and that provide specific seedbed conditions. Insects, rodents, birds or diseases affect both natural seeding and planting. In addition big-game, cattle and human error can be serious problems with planted trees. These problems are compounded with planting because the investment is so much more than with natural regeneration.