Improving Seedbed Conditions in a Norway Pine Forest

Due to the mat of needles and surface vegetation common in pine forests of the Lake States, young pine seedlings often have great difficulty in becoming established. A disk-harrow was nsed to break up the mat and cultivate the soil just at the time the cones started opening. An excellent catch of seedlings resulted which exceeded by over ten times the numbers starting on untreated soil. The cost of such an operation, where it can be applied, should not exceed one dollar per acre.