My parents got some fir trees from the USDA when we lived in northern Ohio and planted them in our backyard. I believe they were free at that time. When they moved to southern Ohio, they planted pines on a hillside there. So when I moved to Georgia, and bought some land, the first thing I did was order Loblolly pines through the Georgia Forestry Commission. I forget the price, but they were really cheap.
I ordered 2500 and got 3 friends to help plant them at different times. You had to traipse over the property in December/January and fight briars. Two friends enjoyed it, and we still talk about it; the other one, not so much.
This is how we did it, but it is a lot easier with two people. My property looked a lot like this place at the time.
Planting Pine Seedlings with a Dibble
I ordered 2500 and got 3 friends to help plant them at different times. You had to traipse over the property in December/January and fight briars. Two friends enjoyed it, and we still talk about it; the other one, not so much.
This is how we did it, but it is a lot easier with two people. My property looked a lot like this place at the time.
Planting Pine Seedlings with a Dibble