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One of the things on my "to do" list for this week is to write up an annual tree planting plan. At Yellow River Forest, we generally plant about ten acres per year to native trees from the State Forest Nursery in Ames. We prefer to plant mixtures of oak with other upland hardwoods. Occasionally, we mix red and white pines in our hardwoods to act as "trainers" for the hardwood trees and help capture open field sites sooner. We also plant an abundance of shrubs that will provide quick dense cover and food for many species of wildlife until the trees get going. On lowland sites, we would plant a mixture of trees more commonly found along streams or river banks, such as cottonwood, walnut, swamp white oak, or silver maple. The choice of species depends on site characteristics, as well as management objectives.
The State Forest Nursery, headquartered in Ames, has an abundance of Iowa seed source tree and shrub seedlings for conservation planting. The list of available trees includes 23 different hardwood species, seven evergreen species, and 15 different shrubs ranging from 25 to 45 cents per plant. Minimum order is 500 plants, enough to cover about an acre of land.
For those landowners who don't have a lot of available space, but would like to enhance wildlife habitat on their properties, the State Nursery has a number of specialty packets designed specifically to improve the food and cover requirements of different species of wildlife. There is a general wildlife packet, as well as a wild turkey packet, a pheasant packet, and a quail packet, each containing 200 plants. There is also a specialty songbird packet which includes 16 shrubs and four trees which will provide a year round food source for songbirds.
There is plenty of tree planting expertise out there to help you get started. For large plantings and choice of species, it is probably best to consult with your DNR district forester or a consulting forester. They can also counsel you on cost share incentives which are available for Conservation Reserve, Riparian Buffers, Bottomland Hardwood plantings, as well as a new program to plant windbreaks and living snowfences to protect roads and lanes from drifting snow.
The State Forest Nursery has a terrific catalogue that lists all the available species with pictures of each as well as site and growth characteristics of each tree and shrub. The catalogue also contains information on planting techniques, weed control, and forestry assistance. You can get a catalogue by calling the nursery toll free at (800)865-2477 or contact Yellow River State Forest at (563)586-2254.
Other information about tree planting, landowner assistance, and cost share programs can be found on the DNR forestry website at www.iowatreeplanting.com.