Mid-summer mowing or brush reduction: In mid- or late summer, mow tall grass or brush and allow weeds and grass to resprout. This lower growth is then more effectively treated with herbicides in the fall than trying to spray taller weeds and grasses with herbicides. Never apply herbicides immediately after mowing.

Site layout: Planting density influences overall productivity (tons per acre per year), individual stem growth (lower density produces faster diameter growth), and rotation length options. Rectangular spacing is easier to flag and maintain weed control once trees are planted as well as allowing easy access of equipment for harvesting. See Table 5 for examples of tree-planting densities.

Fall application of herbicides: Prior to late winter or early spring planting, use “burn-down” herbicides, such as glyphosate to remove vegetation at planting locations or subsoiled lines. Including pre-emergent herbicides, such as pendimethalin, with burn-down herbicides will help suppress competition well after establishment. Landowners can seek advice from an agricultural supply store or contact their county Cooperative Extension Center for specific brands of available broad-spectrum or pre-emergent herbicides. Apply herbicides at least three feet in diameter around individual planting locations or three feet along rows (referred to as "banding"). Herbicides can be applied using backpack sprayers, vehicle-mounted sprayers, or towed sprayers. If you are regenerating a site by coppicing hardwoods, harvesting should be completed by early summer to allow coppiced sprouts to grow before fall or spring weed management.

Late fall or winter soil preparation: Root zone preparation can be done with a three-point tractor hitch-mounted subsoiler foot (sometimes called a “ripper”) or a tandem-offset disc harrow (Figure 17). Subsoiling is usually preferred because it fractures plow pans and creates highly-disturbed subsurface channels through which roots can grow laterally, improving tree growth and anchoring against wind or snow/ice. Subsoiling also allows for easier planting.

Subsoiling guidelines include:

• Subsoil to a minimum 18-inch depth.

• Subsoil in two directions for maximum root-zone benefit, and plant at intersections of lines (creating a planting grid).

• Subsoil about two months before planting to allow for soil subsidence so that trees will not be planted into air pockets below ground.

Second pre-planting weed control: If some weeds survive the fall herbicide application, or new weeds and grass emerge during the winter, make a second herbicide application about two weeks prior to planting. Broad-spectrum herbicides work well. Considering the added expense of this second treatment, preemergent herbicides can be additionally tank mixed and applied following label directions. Ideally this application should precede planting by at least one week.