Cattle Pasture (Tree Planting Update)

[QDM]

I’m looking for opinions on what you guys would do in this scenario. My grandma has an 80 (long, narrow rectangle) that is currently all row cropped up front and cattle pasture on the far right and backside.

I need to minimize any disruptions to her cash flow so I’m considering fencing off the far south field (shaded in orange), from the creek and rest of the farm. This field would be roughly 6-7 acres and I’d like to turn it into deer/pheasant habitat/bedding.

Since we’re going to try and keep it in the family down the road, but obviously no guarantees, I’d like to keep expenses to a minimum at this point.

I’m planning to plant the majority into Eastern Red Cedar but will mix in other various trees. I’m open to any suggestions here as well?

Would you guys just let the pasture grow up into whatever grows or would it be better to try and establish some actual native grasses/CRP? Access to this field will likely be limited for equipment due to the creek.

Thanks for any input!

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Hardwood11]

I would put in some swamp white oak and/or Swamp Bur Hybrids. You will have nice oak trees in 10-15 years, with acorns as early as 6 years. Cage or tube them.

 

[Hardwood11]

What the best access ?

 

[QDM]

I can access from the east and south through the neighbors which is most ideal for the prevailing west and northwest winds.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[LoessHillsArcher]

I would put in some swamp white oak and/or Swamp Bur Hybrids. You will have nice oak trees in 10-15 years, with acorns as early as 6 years. Cage or tube them.

I agree - get some other stuff in there vs just the natural regrowth. Chinkapin oaks have done well for us as well as the above mentioned. Maybe some fruit trees or chestnuts as well. Native grasses are good but on an area like that I'd go with cedars and mixed hardwoods for cover all year including heavy snows.

 

[Sligh1]

All good stuff above
What’s the soil like on that south end?
Lots of varieties of trees if u can be patient. Which I guess anything u do is gonna take years of waiting but worth it. Off top of my head... I’d do cedars. Plus tons of varieties of shrubs. Plus ur fast growing “woods” which quality doesn’t matter.... maple, willow, box elder, sycamore, birch, walnut, etc Then- I’d do about 200-1000 trees u can tube..... fruit trees, nut producers (oaks, chestnut, whatever), persimmon & whatever else u want for specialty trees. Iowa dnr nursery + MO dnr nursery would have most of what u want. U got a solid 5 year commitment on ur hands. First year being biggest of course. Good luck!

 

[QDM]

Soils consist of udolpho loam, colo-ely complex and chelsea-lamont-fayette complex.




Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Sligh1]

Million ways to do this and million planting options... here’s a thought.... I’ve taken 2 to 10 acre areas and made 8’ fence surrounding it. Hedge posts or old poles or black locust. & junk fence from around farm. Could be one avenue to get a premium quality tree planting done. Not the only way to do it clearly. Some trees need zero protection, others need a lot. Tubes are also Options for trees needing some protection. Like I said- million ways do this, could do 40% trees, 40% natives & forbs & 20% food for one of gazillion examples.

 

[QDM]

I really appreciate the input so far, thanks everyone.

I’m also curious on the survival without supplemental watering. While it will be possible to water the trees to an extent (and I realize a lot of varieties may require it).

Can you guys advise on specific bare root seedlings and plug varieties that you’ve had success on without watering. I’m also talking tree survival under normal spring / fall rains since even the hardiest varieties likely can’t withstand extreme drought when trying to get established.

Thanks!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Hardwood11]

I’ve never watered trees. With the exception of some Apple trees. Survival in 20 yrs+... guess 60-70%

This year, it was dry early in MN—not the best survival. Cedar, plum, spruce, bur oak, hackberry are just a few trees that seem to survive the dry stretches.

 

[Sligh1]

Water isn’t the main issue on trees. It’s an issue if it gets to be a drought. Then needs water. Mortality is usually from critters, poor weed control, etc.
I agree on above survival of 60-70%.

 

[QDM]

This will be a long read but wanted to include the good, the bad and the ugly for anyone that has thoughts of planting trees in the future or is currently in the grind!

It has been almost 4 years and I wanted to send an update. Thanks to everyone that responded to my initial request. I ended up fencing off and planting the southwest corner of the farm (6 acres). I wanted to be able to provide water, mulch and weed mats to whatever I planted so I limited the planting area to 1-1.5 acres per year. These were all planted via hand spade because cost share/habitat programs weren’t in the cards for now and I wanted to keep costs to a minimum wherever I could.

This location offers the best hunting access and a large south facing hill (late season thermal cover and hunting was my top priority because this is an active row crop/cattle farm and the cows come off December 1st each year). The bordering properties are very Ag heavy as well but the hope is to pull from 3 sizable blocks of timber in different all within a half mile. Some highlights to this project:

- I averaged roughly 350 trees and hundreds of direct seeded acorns per year
- lots of volunteer hedge, locust and other brush are now around 5 feet plus
- roughly half planted in cedars so I could cut tree protection requirements in half
- few hundred caged conifers
- few hundred tubed hardwoods that will slowly be transitioned to cages as they get above the 5ft tubes…man I hate cleaning the leaf litter in even a 15-20 mph wind
- (pines - red, white, jack), (spruces - Norway, white, Colorado blue) (oaks- SWO, bur, pin, red,black, DCO)maples, dogwoods, wild plum, and cottonwood from the ia state nursery
- some other larger Norway spruce, white cedar, chestnuts, Colorado blue spruce from nurseries in WI. Nice to see them poking above this years 2 plus feet of snow
- put in several dozen apples, crabapples, persimmons and pears that have varied drop times all fall and even through into feb and march. Some of these are even throwing fruit as 2 yr old trees. Included a pic of this. Blue hill wildlife nursery is awesome!!!
- I basically have to tube and cage anything that isn’t a red cedar…ugh! Even had rabbits bite some persimmons off within hrs before I finished planting and could get back to the beginning with my tubes.
- ribbed tubes are garbage…5 ft, “slick” tubes are the only thing I’ll use and I’ll even roll up aluminum window screen and drop in the bottom for the expensive persimmon and chestnuts because if the mice can’t climb up they’ll just chew through the plastic
- most all the trees have all been planted as 18-24 inch bareroot seedlings
- the soil is extremely light and sandy so I fight burrowing mice and voles tunneling into the roots…expensive fruit and nut trees get rock mixed into the dirt a couple inches deep as a deterent. Stone mulch on top of the weed mat has also seemed to help
- 2 out of the 3 years was terrible for drought and I had to supplemental water way more than I would’ve ever thought…hoping this year is better!
- it’s finally nice to see some SWO’s that are 7-8 feet tall, pines in the 5-6 foot range and maple, cottonwood and willow close to 10 feet
- even red / Jack pine and the spruces ALL need caged I have found, not just the white pine, however I wanted thermal cover that included something more than just red cedar
- I’m glad that the entire 6 acres has now been planted and I can focus on filling in any holes the come up with specialty additions. I’ll also need to start swapping out some of the first year cages in the conifers.

Thanks for reading!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk