Liepiņš, K., Lazdiņa, D. and Lazdiņš, A. 2011. Productivity and Cost-effectiveness of the M-Planter Tree Planting Machine in Latvian Conditions. Baltic Forestry 17(2): 308-313 (Brief Report)

Although the first efforts to develop efficient forest planting machines were made already in the mid-20^th century, the level of mechanization in reforestation is still very low. The aim of the given study is to assess the productivity and cost-effectiveness in Latvian conditions of the M-Planter tree planting machine, recently launched in Finland.
The productivity (E₀) of the M-Planter achieved in field tests was 260 seedlings per hour. Considering the current economic situation in Latvia the conventional technologies with mechanized site preparation and manual planting prove to be a viable alternative in forest regeneration.
A number of factors affecting the performance of the said planting machine and prerequisites for introducing fully mechanized forest regeneration technologies in practical forestry in Latvia are discussed.

Key words: mechanical forest planting, productivity, cost-effectiveness, M-planter