By all means, do as recommended here and get some local expertise! Volumes have been written about silviculture-that's what you're after, and a few words or even paragraphs here can do no more than hopefully wet your appetite. There are many facets to aforestation-the planting of forest trees where none currently exist-as well as reforestation, the definition of which is more obvious. So, the presence of "advance regeneration" is a huge factor, as is the invasive species issue......and a bunch more.

+oM

Depends on your goal are these trees for wildlife or timber?

Not necessarily mutually-exclusive categories^. All trees have some value to wildlife. Many like to tout only those most obvious food-providing species, but nature is far more complex than that. Some people work off of lists, so may read that, for example, oaks tend to support lots of wildlife. Well, this is a fact, but it is not the fact, above all others. Don't be swayed by simplistic notions.

+oM

Papermill cos. have tree seedlings. Also check with your local Christmas tree farm they order more seedlings than they need.

might look for long leaf pine seeds or seedlings. Nice trees even when they are young.

if you want timber its best to plant in rows.....for wildlife it doesn't matter they could be planted randomly

it would be better to start the trees in pots and then transplant when they get to a certain size (for a "forest" I would reccomend poplar,oak,sugar maple,pin oak,pine,spruce,pecan,mimosa)

There's something to Logan's idea. A bit more work, but you can 'cull' the runts ahead of time.

I'd recommend using rootpruning containers such as Smart Pots, Rootmaker products, or Pioneer Pots (sold by Stuewe and Sons). They're not cheap, but the plastic ones (Pioneers and some of Rootmaker's stuff) can be re-used. Hard to re-use the fabric pots, however.

There are pros and cons. Direct seeding pros:

No transplant shock

Faster

Cheaper

Direct Seeding Cons:

Seedlings can get lost in, or actually smothered/outcompeted by, weeds before they get a chance

THE D**N VARMINTS AND CRITTERS can eat every single seed.

Weather issues

Container Pros:

It's more fun (to me)

You can select the best plants

Get them large enough to be taller than weeds, etc before planting

Container Cons:

Transplanting issues/root issues

Need more water during establishment

Expense and Time

Goal is wildlife / natural beauty. I don't plan on harvesting any of this. Lots of good suggestions here. Thanks. Looks like I need to read up on silviculture and contact some local experts.

No mimosa. It is an invasive weed here so Inassume it is there. Assumingnit isninvasive there the tree loving follows at your local DNR would rather you not plant it.

Try metasequoia if you want an Asian tree. It grows FAST and does not seed as readily.

Shep, while there is some merit to the potting-up idea, especially if Hairmetal's suggestions toward the "rootmaker"-style of container is followed, I have had good luck directly planting thousands and thousands of bare-root seedlings as well as plug stock directly into their new homes. I'm talking right around 10,000 trees at this point. A very wild-*ss guess as to our success rate...perhaps 85% survival. And I may be under-reporting that success. We've just got a lot of trees coming up!

+oM

If you want to 'sow a forest', the first thing you might do is to look into permaculture techniques. Generally the first thing they do is plant multiple fast-growing trees that do well in the climate, wait one or two years, then hack them all down to make mulch. This results in very fertile soil, and the next generation of trees that are planted can grow very fast. The first temporary generation of trees also can provide just a little bit of shade which can really help the next generation of trees when they are very young, since shade generally means moisture and helps moderate any harsh high temperature days in the summer. Permaculture attempts to imitate the natural succession that happens in a real forest.

Yes, what Parker says is very important. And it's even better if you can plant some nitrogen fixing tree. In my place I use alder but I guess black locust is a better choise in Tennesee. But you can probably wait for more than two years before cutting them down.

toronado3800, here in NC they grow in the wild they are one of my favorites I am sorry that it is an invasive species in your area such a shame they are beautiful trees :(

The permaculture techniques mentioned, while good, are in fact merely variations on what foresters have been doing for decades if not longer-rotation through pioneer species-up here that's mostly birch and aspen-then into pine, fir, spruce, and finally, if things are allowed to continue developing sufficiently long, northern hardwood mixed hemlock forest. That again , is for up here, YMMV. But the idea is the same, one "crop" of trees setting the stage for the next. In the scenario as I laid it out, the pine (white pine), balsam fir, and white spruce can all get their start in the light shade cast by the birch/aspen overstory, especially as that matures, starts to die out, gets logged, etc. So then, these young conifers are known as "advance regeneration", their having arisen before the overstory trees are done.

+oM

I think we may be making things so complicated we may dissuade him. Not sure this permaculture/succession thing is necessary for one acre of farmland he is trying to turn into a faux forest. He may lose interest before he completes it. Amateurs/hobbyists typically have limited time/energy/enthusiasm to devote to any one project...Add too many steps and they may lose interest and decide to put in a pool instead.

If the soil is halfway decent, buying his favorite species of native tree bare root and in bulk from the state and county will probably be the simplest and most cost effective way to achieve the result he wants. Or buy acorns, hickory nuts, walnuts and pecans, plant them in flats, and transplant them. Direct sowing acorns, walnuts, hickory nuts and pecans is risky but super low effort if it works. (I find the seed thing works much better with large nuts...wouldn't bother direct sowing maple).

If you must improve the soil, just plant an inoculated legume cover crop and plow it under. Less authentic but faster then "simulated succession". Might control weeds to but might cause erosion. Probably not necessary anyway.

Oh, in response to a prior question...straight rows are good if you are using it for timber or nut production. Make maintenance easier. They don't make much difference one way or another if your purpose is wildlife. They may be a bad thing if your purpose is aesthetic...they undermine the woodsy feel. Also bad if the purpose is a wind break.

Be sure to create paths so you can enjoy your woods. Also, in your climate you could make a woods/nut orchard thing.

Do you have a way to get water there? It's not absolutely necessary...no one waters the forest. However, I think what happens is if you don't water, most of your saplings may die one year...and you may not get a batch to take until you get a year when rain comes at just the right times.

Thanks for all input. This is a long-haul project. And I'm committed. I'll gather some advice from local professional people as recommended above and proceed. Probably the biggest challenge is the steepness and cost considerations.

edlincoln, around here, maples, particularly rubrum, but saccharum and saccharinum to some degree in some areas as well, self seed more than you'd ever need to plant. If you want some maples, just wait, and thin out to the strongest.

hairmetal4ever: Another reason I didn't think buying maple seeds and consciously planting them was worth the effort...

sheptn7a: If you are in it for the long haul, there are lots of ways to substitute time for money. Bare root trees are cheap, and pecans are cheaper.

As someone who is attempting a (much smaller) project, I'd advise you
to do everything you can now...don't put off to Spring anything that
can possibly be done in Fall. I find the
window of time between the end of "Mud Season" and it getting too hot to
plant can be short, and much of it is often unusable because of weather
and work commitments. County plant sales and state nurseries seedling
sales are typically in the Spring and the trees must be planted
immediately. It's not uncommon for me to spend a lot of time online
discussing plans then find when the bare root plants arrive I just don't
have time that day to plant all of them.

Order pecans, the
acorns of your favorite oaks, and your favorite hickory nuts now. Many
seeds need cold stratification, and now is a great time to plant those
seeds (or stick them in the fridge), if you go the seed root. If you have friends with wooded lots they are thinking of clearing or trees that produce too many volunteers, now is a good time to photograph their leaves (for identification) and mark the ones worth keeping (to dig up and transplant after the leaves drop). Also a good time to gather local acorns from friend's wooded lots.

In some states there is a way to get a break on your property taxes if you sign a covenant never to develop this lot.

Useful Links:
East Tennessee State Nursery

Kentucky State Nursery

North Carolina State Nursery

Native Nursery (for hunters mostly)

Acorns, Nuts & Seeds for Sale

Some good points, Ed. I agree, th4e whole natural succession thing is likely one step too many for a project of tis nature. I didn't do that in my own big plantings, going from corn one year to what would be long-term seral stage conifers in one day,

Slope factors are big-time here and I'd def. try to either bring in an expert or very quickly become one, to use best practices when dealing with that. A cover crop of some kind might be a must, as well as erosion blankets, mats, etc.

And big agreement with hair-obviously, one would work with the often heavy growth of volunteer, common but useful species that are able to colonize fairly large areas quickly. As is so often the case, just depends on what's there and in areas adjacent to project area, to either dispense seeds or for rhizomatous root systems to allow a steady infiltration into new area.

+oM

For oaks, I would do direct sowing, they are the easiest tree to grow from seed. I would try to direct sow the others you want, but, they may be harder to be successful at than oaks. For 1 acre, if it was me, I would take a nice ride out in the country, and collect some tree seeds, of those you want to grow. Those you can't find, maybe make a new post on here, or the plant propagation forum, and see if someone can spare some seeds. You just may be able to get lots of the seeds for the trees you want for free. And of course if you get trees from seed, that means no babying the seedlings. They will likely need no help from you, ever. Unless you get an unpresidented drought, that is beyond the norm. Poaky1

BTW, Shep, if you would like some acorns from trees that grow wild in the Appalacians, I can get you some Chestnut oak acorns (Rock chestnut oak) Q. Prinus/Montana is the latin name. I have a couple of them in my yard that have acorns on them now. I MAY be able to get some Q. Alba, Eastern white oak. There is another oak near me that is either a Q. Muehlenbergi or a Q. Michauxii. Well, give an idea of what you want Shep. I will let you know if I can find any seeds. Poaky1

Shep, I see you "liked" my answer/comment. Thanks, but for future reference. If I don't respond to any "likes" from anyone, I am a bit technologically "backwards", so I don't go beyond what I do here on my computer. I don't usually respond to more than what is on this forum. So I am not being rude, I just don't go as far as some peeps do on social media. I have no smart phone and see any social media until I get on my computer. So, not being rude, I am just not as "connected" or whatever as some peeps. I am not even on facebook anymore. So thanks for the "like" but, I can't really "like" back or whatever. But, if you want some acorns, post here what you may want. Poaky1

I don't know anything about this company, but they send me their catalog.

https://www.musserforests.com/

Poaky, should be easy to tell apart Q. michauxii from muehlenbergii if they have acorns. Q. michauxii acorns are pretty large, while muehlenbergii nuts are pretty small, smaller than the other oaks with similar leaves.

Okay, Hair, shep ckickadee, and anyone, I will try and collect some of my "Rock chestnut oak" acorns fro m under my trees. I cut grass today,and I have, lots of these acorns yellow with dark areas at the tip. So these Q. Prinus/ Montana acorns are going to germinate soon. So Shep, if ypou want to get your acre planted with some oaks, and other native to USA trees. These acorns will need planted soon or they will be too mature to mail out and expect to later germinate. The Q. Prinus/montana is an appalacian trail native Shep. I can try and pick some acorns for you shep, but, if you let me know ASAP, I can do so. Maybe some Q. Alba, Q. Prinus/montana, and eastern Hemlock. Then maybe some other oaks up in the mountains from me. My neighbor has a mature Q. Rubra, but, I am not sure it will have acorns this year. But, there are lots of Garden webbers here that love to share and exchange . Poaky1

Hey Hair, the Muel and Michauxxi, trees are at Mount saint Macrina, a place that I used to work at in a nurseing home on the grounds. It is a large "sorta" park. I noticed when I used to walk around in the park that there was a "Muelenbergii" or Michauxxi tree there acorns. And I know it';s dumb hair, but, I always get the Muel and the Michauxxi mixed up. But, the tree in question has a name plaque that says it is either of the 2 trees in question so the acorns will be labeled correcly.. Poaky1 and PS Shep let me know if you want either of these trees, the acorns will be correctly labeled/ if you only want one ort the other, I'll try and find out specifically the one you want then okay. Poaky1

It's me again (poaky1) there are lots of Q. Rubra or Q. Velutina at Mt Macrina grounds. But, it is hard to tell the difference between Q. Rubra and Q. Velutina acorns. You pretty much have to feel the leaves, and inspect the trunk. Some of the trees have name plaques, some don't. But, as I mentioned, the Q. muelenbergii, and Q. Michauxxi can be told apart by me looking at the name plaque on the tree. I gotta trey and get there in a couple days with my camera, and hope the tree will be happy enough to put out some acorns this year. Poaky

Remember on velutina you'll find differing shaped leaves. Some will resemble marilandica. That's a pretty key factor, poaks & the acorns are quite smaller too than any rubra I've met.

Dax

OK, I still haven't gone there yet. Thanks Dax poaky1

To the OP if you want any of my Rock chestnut oak acorns, let me know, they are soon to be sending out a taproot, and will be too late. I have gotten only 4 Chinkapin oak acorns today. I can send to the OP if she/he wants. If nobody wants them, I may plant 2 of them. poaky1

I know Dax. I have one in mostly shade that has the Marilandica leaves, hairs on the back of the leaves. Poaky1

marilandica found yesterday:

I realize poak you're referring to velutina leaves in the shade, but not to confuse others regarding pubescence on the back side of Blackjack oak.

Dax

I knew it was supposed to be in Henderson Co. IL. And after a few hours in & while driving thru the many sand roads of Big River State Forest (2,900 acres), I found one. I'll bet I looked at near to 100,000 velutina (also in scrub form) the three hours while I searched.

Quercus marilandica Henderson Co. IL.

Dax

Tree range maps are great tools and I particularly like the USDA Plants Database stuff. But even these are by no means 100% accurate. In my state, Am. beech is often shown to only inhabit a tiny slice of extreme eastern WI, yet I know of numerous places perhaps 60 or more miles to the west where beech is alive and well and numerous...whole hillsides that have been logged in the past twenty years or so, coming up in thick sapling growth of Am. beech. The USDA maps also showed-this is just for example-tamarack as not being present in Shawano County, WI (pronounced shaw-no). Hehe, I gotta tell you, that county is full of tamarack, including what amounts to almost the entire drainage of one small river I happen to drive through on my way to my land. Those folks are cool about it though, and so long as one provides sufficient documentation, they will adjust these maps, as has been done in the case I reference here.

+om

Thanks Poaky, but you go ahead and plant those. I appreciate the offer though.

Dax, It has been a long while (I think) but, if you can recall, did you ever send me some Q. Marilandica acorns? I KNOW SOMEONE did years ago. I was just thinking that maybe the tree I am thinking is Q. Velutina MAY BE a Marilandica. I had sown some in a few places, but removed them from a couple places figuring I didn't want so small and slow growing of an oak in those places. But, I am thinking that MAYBE the Q. Velutina in my front yard just may be a Marilandica from someone (you?) from several (4?) years ago. I must add that, I had thought that it was a Velutina because the bark seems to have some orange in the creases and cracks. It is likely a Velutina afterall. I sent pics of the leaves this past spring/early summer. But, I can't help but wonder a bit. Dax, you had ID'ed it as Q. Velutina, but, there was no mention that it COULD be a Marilandica, which could have warranted a closer look or whatever. Okay, Shep, the Rock Chestn. oak sends down taproots quickly, so the window of mailing out acorns is pretty short. Anyhoo, good luck on your project Shep. The deer here are eating lots of the acorns (R. Ch. Oak) and I am glad they are leaving lots of poop too. Free fertilizer!

I wouldn't have sent velutina. I have had marilandica acorns in the past.

Dax

Just a suggestion. Leave it be. Here in east Texas there was a hay pasture behind our families property. 8 years of not cutting the hay has left it a beautiful forest. Thick but a forest. After the weeds and grass, first trees to pop out were, sycamores, sweet gum. locust, yaupon (shrub) and ash. Then the oaks, pines, and hickories outgrew all. So pretty much now we a young forest dominated by oaks about 10-20 ft high. The critters love it. And I love eating critters.

Volunteers are indeed great for forest regeneration^. If those are the native species of the area in question....and if they are from the original gene pool, this is the absolute best stuff you could have. Just be aware-in many areas, there's a lot of junk waiting to move into an abandoned field as well. So long as you are adept at plant ID and don't mind learning the various control techniques (for the invasive junk), you can def. start out in the manner described above.

Chinese tallow and silk tree (memosa) are the invasive trees that I watch out for. They are terrible in this region, but the native trees will still eventually out grow and live longer these these invasive trees.

I hate to say it...but is your objective to get a completely natural environment? Ultimately, it's your yard. If there are natives you find especially attractive, you can buy a bunch of those saplings and plant them to bias the wooded lot towards your aesthetic tastes. You could "skip ahead" to the stage in succession you think is prettiest. You could make it double as a nut orchard,

Treenut is likely correct, but, I know if I just let a clearcut area go wild, I would get lots of Silver Maple, and crappy invasives, mayb e some good natives. Well, the OP can "let it be" and still cull any garbage invasives. I would say not many areas of the US (or other countries) are without invasives. Lots a peeps don't realize they are planting crap invasives til it's too late.

the main invasives i've seen are mimosa, tree of heaven, and empress tree. tree of heaven has taken up real estate on the hill but, as suggested, having id'd it already I feel confident I could just keep targeting it and other less desirables with a machete or mower.

I guess Im lucky when it comes to natives growing naturally. The land Ive been talking about has very mature oak trees surrounding the area with some hickories scattered around. And with it be a semi flood plane, good moisture and good squirrel population, there is a great chance of it growing up to being superb oak stand. Since we had access to it before the tree started to grow, I made a small trail system through out the land. Its very nice to walk around with a abundance of critters to see along the way.

I dont have any access to tree of heaven or the empress tree, so Im not sure what to look for. But I do know the natives, so if I see anything out of place, I go into action if it can be reached.

Yes, treenut, if one is so lucky as to live in the vicinity of a largely undisturbed native plant community, then passive reforestation is the ideal. So, up at my land, there are few if any woody invasive species present. As far as trees and shrubs go, I can pretty much let what happens happen, subject only to my whims. So, I'm very much hoping-and expecting-that paper birch, N. white cedar, white pine, and other goodies will continue to colonize an area that is no longer farmed, but which we did not plant to trees ourselves. For me, watching the benign invasion of such pioneer (and some not so pioneer) species into abandoned ag land is a delight almost beyond compare.

+oM

I'm with you, +oM. It's a huge pleasure to watch a woods fill in and change over the years. Our woods burnt in '45, and 10 years later, my dad took me planting acorns. At that time, there was a lot of assorted popple, white spruce and balsam fir (Var, my Dad called it). Over time the dog berries (mountain ash), red spruce and white birch came in. The tamarack had survived in the wet spots the fire had not burned. Wasn't long till some of the tiny red maples started to get big enough to be noticeable, and the acorns had become trees big enough to mast. The squirrels planted oaks all over the place. Bog birch showed up recently. Beech came in, probably via the squirrels and jays, from the seed source across the road. I mouse guard them when I find them. The elms lining the brook caught the DED, and most died...not all though. I am planting more elms too, from local survivor elms that have either not been exposed to the dutch elm disease, or survived it.

I have planted american chestnut, and soon they will be old enough to mast too, and the wildlife will spread them too. One year I dumped a bucket of acorns in the path, and the squirrels had a planting party. There are red oaks all along the paths, none more than 50 or 100 feet from the paths. Some of those are over 20 feet now. The grouse have come back, and the eagles. It's a lot of fun.

Amen, Jocelyn. These myriad changes-all going on with or without our inputs-are fascinating and powerful. Interesting that your site burned. So did ours apparently-during the "dustbowl" days of the 1930s. I find it quite amazing that a forest full of the very epitome of cool, northern scenes-paper birch, white cedar, white pine, etc....got its start in fire. But there's nature for you!

+oM