doughboysigep,
my land is in s.e. kansas. kansas does have a seedling program for landowners and i've been in contact w/ the kansas forestry service conservation program coordinator to get more info concerning my upcoming tree planting.

seedling planting ?'s:
should i create the seedling hole w/ a shovel or dibble spade?
will using a rooting hormone stimulator improve seedling success?
what seedling protection is worth the cost? the rigid seedling protectors ( http://www.benmeadows.com/store/prod...parent_id=5633 ) seem to be the only "reasonably" priced protector.
is one type or brand of mulch advantageous?