Planting and transplanting companion species

Capsule 4/6 on the Maple Grove Management Guide.
Advent calendar for new quotas! : NC-4 days
The maple grove management guide also covers the planting and transplanting of maples and its challenges. You are interested in the topic for mainly 2 reasons:

1. You have the ambition and patience of a tree planter

There is enthusiasm in Chaudière-Appalaches for maple planting, says Michael, a forest engineer and co-author of the book. It is something that requires a lot of time, a certain monetary investment, and has a variable mortality rate depending on the presence of deer and soil compatibility.

2. You want to introduce companion species and regenerate your wooded area.

The goal is to have a maple grove with 15 to 25% companion species, and in some cases, the solution is to plant or transplant. The principle is that in a maple grove with a too high concentration of sugar maple, we will seek to transplant companion species under the canopy that will live in companionship with the sugarbush.

Examples of companion species: all species!

It all depends on the context. For example, on mountain tops, where yellow birch doesn't naturally grow, one can see a beech as a good companion for the maple.
Won't beech acidify the soil? - (try saying that ten times fast).

Beech is not necessarily a bad companion for maple.

Contrary to common belief, maple is almost unparalleled in terms of leaf acidity, according to Michael Cliche, a forest engineer. Naturally, a pure maple stand tends to acidify and impoverish its soil. The biggest challenges with beech, Michael Cliche says, "are, on the one hand, it is very invasive and prevents the young generation of maples from growing."

"On the other hand, its leaves take a long time to decompose, forming a thick carpet that prevents maple seeds from piercing through it to establish themselves in the soil."

Conclusion for beech? We don't hate it, we just want to control its abundance.

For more information, refer to the APBB Maple Grove Management Guide:

Chapter 3. Ecology of the Maple Grove - p.53

• Maple species with tapping potential
• Companion species of the linden maple grove and the yellow birch maple grove
• Indicator species
• Important understory species

Chapter 7. Planting - p.199

• Site and species selection
• Density
• Planting
• Plant protection
• Tree transplantation
• Producing your own sugar maple seedlings

Chapter 9. Education of Young Shoots - p.246

• Generalities
• Training size
• Pruning
• Thinning
• Application modalities
• Intervention period
• Intervention frequency
• Cutting technique and tools
• Main types of defects to correct

The Maple Grove Management Guide, produced by the Association of Woodland Owners of Beauce, in collaboration with the Canadian Partnership for Agriculture Canada-Quebec