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This article summarizes the information in the literature concerning site preparation in wetlands with special emphasis on bucket mounding. Mounding as a site preparation technique has been used since the 18th century for reestablishing tree species on wet sites, and it is commonly used in parts of Canada and Scandinavia. In the Lake States, a version of mounding called bucket mounding is coming into use for regenerating cutover wetland sites. Bucket mounding differs from other mounding operations in that it is used exclusively in wetlands and uses a tracked excavator to create the mounds, rather than equipment towed behind or attached to a skidder or bulldozer. In wet areas, bucket mounding creates a raised planting site, resulting in more aerated soil above the water table, warmer soil temperatures during the growing season, greater nutrient availability, and a small degree of vegetation control. Bucket mounding mimics the natural pit and mound microtopography that naturally occurs as a result of wind storms across the Great Lakes Region. This microtopography is important for natural regeneration establishment and growth. This article provides an overview of natural pit and mound formation, types of mounds, mounding equipment, the effects of mounding on the seedling environment, and planted species survival. Additional considerations for Lake States conditions are also discussed. North. J. Appl. For. 18(1):7–13.

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Little research has been conducted to investigate interactions between the invasive Formosan subterranean termite, Coptotermes formosanus Shiraki, and pine bark beetles native to the southeastern United States. Facilitative interactions between these organisms could alter stand dynamics and impact wood utilization strategies. American Wood Protection Association Standard E1-09 choice tests were carried out to determine the feeding preference of Formosan subterranean termites for blue-stained versus unstained southern yellow pine sapwood. Three separate colonies of Formosan subterranean termites consumed on average twice as much air-dried blue-stained southern yellow pine sapwood over unstained air-dried controls. Additionally, Formosan subterranean termites consumed over five-times more kiln-dried blue-stained sapwood than unstained kiln-dried control wafers. The implications of these results are particularly relevant to pine forest ecology, nutrient cycling, and the utilization of blue-stained southern pine building products in the southeastern United States, where Formosan subterranean termites have become established.