The complexity and the beauty of forests ability to naturally regenerate themselves is something I find fascinating and love to observe. #naturalregeneration 
To be successful, natural regeneration requires....a source of seed, an adequate seed bed and needed climatic conditions. These requirements for natural regeneration varies with different plant species, some even require fire.
Several years ago I started to plant acorns and hickory nuts along the edges of hayfields, along streams and other locations where they wouldn't be negatively impacted by human activity and followed their progress over the next 15 years.
I planted thousands over several years, these were acorns and nuts that I collected myself and stored properly and knew that they were viable and also that I planted them in moist, spring soil. Here is one of my few seedlings from such a planting.
What I was doing is NOT natural regeneration but was triggered by my desire to assist with the reforestation of land previously used for the grazing of cattle.
Humans can never replicate the nuanced almost magical aspects of natural regeneration accruing in forests but with global climate disruption we need to try. Here is a picture that I took, 150 ago this was all deforest with soil depleted from bad farming and logging practices.
