Seedling Inspection

This Douglas fir seedling was planted in the Spring of 2019 and it has had 2 years of growth. This is an excellent amount of growth. These trees were planted on a client’s property, and we help provide advice and direction for their farm.

Any property should be inspected yearly after planting to ensure success. I recommend meeting the planting crew on site to fix any issues during planting. The property should be visited in the fall/winter after planting and every fall/winter for the first five years to check seedling survival. If seedling mortality is over 20% (roughly), then replanting should be explored.

These seedlings experienced significant elk damage. Most trees will bounce back from heavy animal browse, but they should still be monitored for potential replanting. In extreme areas, Douglas fir seedlings will need to be tubed or covered to protect them from damage. See the post about “Tree Tubes”.

Here I am doing the math on how old this tree is.