Natural regeneration
Count seedlings and saplings by species and height on small plots, and see stocking, the share of plots adequately stocked, what is getting away above browse height and — where recorded — natural versus planted stems.
- For
- Consultant foresters
- Time
- 6 minutes to read
- Where
- Field app — Natural regeneration; web — Results › Natural regeneration
- Updated
On this page
Which method
| Method | Where | What it says |
|---|---|---|
| Species × height class provisional | The default (recommended everywhere but England, Scotland & Wales and France, Belgium & Luxembourg) | Stocking, % of plots adequately stocked (default threshold 2,500 stems/ha from 20 cm), share above browse height, natural vs planted |
| Saplings — FC Information Note 45 | England, Scotland & Wales (transformation to CCF) | Saplings (≥ 130 cm tall, < 7 cm DBH) per ha against 2,000/ha; the simple and complex structure rules |
| AFI sub-plots | France, Belgium & Luxembourg, with the AFI stand method | Three 1.5 m sub-plots per AFI plot, four height / diameter classes; no adequacy threshold — follow the trend |
Record in the field
- On each regeneration plot (2 m radius by default, nested in the stand plot) record competing vegetation and a photo. Record empty plots — they count.
- Tally by species and height class, with how many have the leader browsed, and the origin — natural, planted or unknown. Birch and willow often seed in at planting: mark unknown rather than guess.
Read the result
- Plots adequately stocked is judged against your target % (default 70 %).
- Getting away — the share above browse height (≥ 130 cm): the stems that have escaped browsing.
- Origin — natural, planted and unknown stems, and the number of naturally colonising species.
- FC IN 45: simple structure — ≥ 2,000 saplings/ha overall, ≤ 10 % of plots empty and ≥ 1,000/ha in the rest, 10–15 years after the seeding felling; complex — 10 % of plots at 2,000/ha early, rising to 50 %. The large-sapling share should rise.
Provisional defaults
Irish guidance sets no natural-regeneration stocking standard; 2,500 stems/ha mirrors the planting rate in the DAFM Forestry Standards Manual. Set your own threshold and height classes in the objective.
What it doesn’t do (yet)
- No seedling identification help beyond the species list; record what you can name.
Sources: Kerr, Mason, Boswell & Pommerening (2002) FC Information Note 45; DAFM Forestry Standards Manual (Nov 2023); AFI sub-plots after Etienne (2007).