I alluded last month to that part of what has contributed to cedar mania in our tree plantings is that we haven’t always selected the most suitable trees for other rows in the belt.
Before I get into that I am also trying to talk about trees right now to bring your attention to two things. Now is the time to plan for trees if you want to plant them in 2026. Not January, February, or later. We ensure we can get the species we want if we are ready to go but also you need to plan on not spraying a residual chemical on the area you want to plant. This can be a big hiccup if you do and can lead to not getting your trees planted for a year, or longer. So, pay attention to what you are using for herbicide if you are thinking about planting trees in a particular spot.
The second reason I want to highlight some tree discussion now is that if you want to use CRP as a cost share you have a very small window to get your application in. Which the first batching period for this year is Junes 6th. By the time you read this that is going to be a day or two. It is possible there will be another batching date in July, but even if you are only thinking about planting trees and want to consider using CRP to plant all or part of them then contact FSA and get an application in. I would never encourage anyone to rush to make a decision, but this initial part is just an intent form not a contract. By signing the intent, it gives you time to decide if it is what you want to do. Once it comes back as approved (which just means the acres are available), then is the time you enter into the contract or say no thank you. CRP is by no means the only cost share but waiting for any of them might leave you out in the cold. If CRP doesn’t work for you or you miss the boat just call me and I can explain what ones are available for your area. There can be several.
Ok to the main point. I know you have seen the belt I’m about to describe, cedars (or junipers) on the outside and a space in-between. I talked in depth last week about how brome can stunt the best of trees (that visual is cedars on the outside and sticks in the middle) but if there’s no evidence of other trees that is probably due to what we planted.
As the landowner you do have some choice on what gets planted but that is limited. If we are following the guidelines for most programs, we have to follow what trees have been determined are suitable for your soil. We (ok I) don’t always agree with these categorizations but that is a moot point. It doesn’t mean that excluded trees wouldn’t grow in certain soils, but if they aren’t on the list we can’t include them if you want the cost share. If you have good soils (aka class 3) everything is on the table, it’s the soils down the list from there that can make life difficult.
Even if we have class 3 soils and have everything at our disposal, I urge caution. Yes, I’m the guy that preaches diversity (the more the merrier) but we are limited to what works in our part of the world. I caution stay native, well technically native in that these trees and shrubs grow somewhere within the Midwest. I should only have to mention Siberian Elm to make my point with this. If we don’t learn our history, we are doomed to repeat it. Do not use hybrid trees, good for corn not for trees. I know many of you have seen the ads for the fastest growing trees. Remember this grow fast die fast (with one exception, its native).
Even though using native only trees limits the list it is still expansive enough to plant good trees with tree diversity. Afterall we are going to greatly increase our diversity if all we have been doing is growing cedars and junipers. I do run across people that don’t want shrubs because they don’t grow, see last week’s column to the likely culprit(s) of this. Suppress your brome and cut your fabric and shrubs work great.
So which shrubs? I have four main ones for upland areas: American Plum, Chokecherry, Nannyberry, and Smooth Sumac. We can add Sandbar Willow and Redoiser Dogwood to wetland areas. I know Redoiser Dogwood is often used as a decorative plant in yards, which can work well but they are a riparian shrub, and we are asking for failure if we plant whole rows of them. What works in yards doesn’t always work in shelterbelts where less care is given. There are other native shrubs we can use in shrub clumps or riparian areas, but they are generally shorter, and I don’t recommend them in a tree belt situation.
I just mentioned the two shrubs for wet areas Dogwood and Sandbar Willow. The two trees I recommend are Peach Leaf Willow and Silver Maple. The two willows I mentioned are the most common native willows we have. One is a tree, and one is a shrub, forget any other willows plant these two species in their appropriate places. Golden Willow shouldn’t be planted, we have these two natives that work, and work better especially since Sandbar is actually a shrub. Silver Maples are native to river bottoms, hence evolved to wet conditions. They do good on uplands until we have prolonged droughts like we saw a couple years ago. This top killed many of the maples.
For tall trees I recommend Boxelder, Bur Oak, Cottonwood, Hackberry, Honeylocust, and the aforementioned Peachleaf Willow and Silver Maple for wet areas. Not a long list but again we are in an originally treeless plain. Boxelder is a greatly underappreciated and forgotten tree, you see them in many of the old farm sites. Bur Oak may be a bit fickle to get going but if you get them started, they live for hundreds of years. Hackberry and Honeylocust are two very hardy trees that can be interchangeable. Cottonwood yes, I know some of you don’t care for them, but I challenge you to find a faster (this is the exception) longer living tree. Not to mention it is going to be the tallest tree we can grow. The reason we plant tree belts is to block wind (even for wildlife). We want them dense to stop it and taller to stop it farther out so, why wouldn’t we use the tree that blocks the wind the furthest distance. If you put them in the middle of a 9-row belt those branches you don’t like picking up are more likely to stay in the tree belt.
I won’t spend much time on conifers, we know that cedars and junipers block wind well. I have trouble recommending any others as we have seen the last few years the weather and disease has taken its toll on pine and spruce trees. The close space of tree belts leads to a lot of problems for spruce especially when they are stressed by too wet followed closely by too dry.
For anyone that is planting trees specifically for wildlife you may be on the kick that we shouldn’t plant tall trees because raptors roost in them. Stop it! Those birds were here when there weren’t any trees. I can show you plenty of pictures of owls and hawks in cedar trees. Predators shouldn’t ever be our focus; it takes our eye off of habitat.