I have a couple of apple-crab trees in my back yard that produce about pool ball sized fruit. About 20 years ago (still do it every year) I started planting some of the seeds on public land where I hunt (not many hunters in these areas, and even less today). I would find areas where there were large openings in the tree canapies so that if they took the young trees would get lots of sun (just something added to do while scouting). I'm sure I planted thousands of seeds, but over the years there have been 18 to 20 trees that have took and are producing very well. There are always excellent trails to these trees and I have taken many deer setting up about 75- 100 yards from thefruit producing trees. I don't know if this is consideredplanting a food plot but boy do they pull in the deer.I don't think it could ever beillegal to plant a tree in a forest.