Getting ready to plant a load of pine trees on my layout, I have some hills and open spaces I intend to use for the pine trees. Any advice on the best way to place them in the layout would be greatly appreciated as would any photos.
Tell us more about the surfaces that the trees will be planted on.
What brand and size and material of trees do you have?
Rich
Coouple of more questions.
Are you planting a forest of all pines or a mixed forest with clumps of pine trees?
When planting small groups I have seen it recommended to plant in uneven numbers, 3,5,7, etc. I have a couple of such clumps, they look good to me. Also, in my forest I have a few single fir trees sticking up here and there through my puff ball tree canopy, like I see in the woods around here. There are also places in nature where there is an acre or two of pine forest, as the soil type is different and the pines dominate.
Good luck,
Richard
The photos you need are of the real forests that interest you. What do they look like? Are the pine trees all the same species or are they mixed? Are they all the same age or has there been a cutting?
Planting in foam is a breeze, in plaster cloth, a pain.
Here are the tall pines in Yellowstone, a New Mexico hillside and a mixed forest in Minnesota as I modeled them:
One suggestion for planting a pine forest on a narrow background ridge. I sliced packaging sponge into sheets a bout 1/8" thick and spray painted with various shades of green. Then cut into zig-zag pattern (as shown in first photo. I then layered them at random on the background, s shown in second photo. I cover the plaster cloth with Hydrocal plaster and then drill holes for planting a canopy of trees. I vacuum up the white plaster mess before spray painting the forest floor with various shades of brown. For deciduous trees, I prefer to use Scenic Express Super trees, with sage to make the trunks of foreground trees. I soak three sprigs of Super Tree in dilute 4:1 Matte Medium. (which makes the armatures less brittle and is an adhesive). Then, spray with hair spray or inexpensive spray adhesive, before sprinkling on Blended green Floc-Foam. Mixed conifer and deciduous make very realistic forests. Bob Hahn 
