Forest question: to plant or not?

Forest regeneration is always a topic of discussion among forest landowners. Many have recently had a timber sale, or want to increase the diversity of the trees they have, while others would like to convert some of their pasture land to forest. But, how do you know whether natural regeneration is the right path for your forest? Natural regeneration - new seedling growth - comes from the seed bank in the soil as well as seeds from surrounding trees. Some seeds can travel quite a distance, so if you have mature trees of your desired species in the area, odds are there should be some of their seeds around. If you don't have good natural regeneration, or you don't like the species that are regenerating, another option is planting seedlings. Seedlings of almost every species can be purchased for planting.