International Scientific Journal on Reforestation, Afforestation and Tree Reproduction
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Issue 21, 2026

Online ISSN: 2466-4367

, Issue 21, (2026)

Published: 22.01.2026.

Open Access

This Special Issue of Reforesta, International Practices for Regenerating and Restoring Forest Trees by Seeding, brings together regional practice and research from North America, South America, Europe, Asia, and Oceania on using broadcast and direct seeding to create forest cover. It presents a significant range of seeding activities inclusive of species, forests, sites, and climates. Seeding has regained interest because of its scalability and cost-effectiveness, particularly for remote or inaccessible areas, sites with low productivity where planting seedling costs are prohibitive, or when aiming for a more natural forest structure. Technological innovations, particularly in seed treatments, automation, and precision seeding improve success of large-scale seed dispersal.

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01.12.2024.

Research paper

Testing the reliability of morphological patterns to identify Sonderegger pine in forest tree seedling nurseries
Sonderegger pine (Pinus x sondereggeri H.H. Chapm.), the natural hybrid of longleaf (Pinus palustris Mill.) and loblolly pine (Pinus taeda L.), commonly occurs in longleaf pine seedlots grown in forest tree seedling nurseries in the southeastern United States. Because longleaf pine seedlings have a grass stage with minimal epicotyl development (< 1 cm), the initiation of stem growth (12 to 15 cm) in longleaf pine seedlots has been used to indicate that hybridization with loblolly pine (Pinus taeda L.) has occurred. Sonderegger pine seedlings are typically culled at the nursery due to observations of poor form and wood quality after outplanting. However, research documenting Sonderegger pine seedling morphology has not been published for more than 60 years, and to our knowledge, no seedling quality assessments have been made. To better understand how morphological traits of longleaf and loblolly pine are expressed in hybrid seedlings, stem length, hypocotyl length, and root collar diameter (RCD) were compared among one-year-old container-grown longleaf, loblolly, and seedlings visually classified as Sonderegger pine. Sonderegger pine seedlings had a range of stem development, with most (62%) seedlings measuring < 12 cm tall. Some pure longleaf pine seedlings had up to 10 cm of stem elongation, but the cause of early height growth in these seedlings is unknown. More than 90% of Sonderegger pine seedlings met or exceeded RCD recommendations for planting loblolly (≥ 3.2 mm) and longleaf pine (≥ 4.75 mm).

Kelsey Shoemaker, D. Paul Jackson, Joshua Adams