Shelter Belt

You have my sincere admiration for your habitat work CY. Truly build it and they will thrive. God Bless your effort. CY for governor. Got my vote.
 
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Pictures posted above. Not great pictures, as most of what I took were videos, but can't figure out how to upload those from my phone.

~1400 trees in the ground.

Outside snow fence planted with all ninebark. Inside that outside snow catch will be switch grass (seeding that this upcoming weekend), and then the shelter belt itself is 11 rows wide.

3 rows button bush, plum, dogwoods
5 rows Spruce/Cedar
3 rows ninebark, button bush, plum, aronaberry, dogwood

Borrowed the tree planter and weed fabric roller from local county conservation. Had 2 tractors running, 15 guys helping, and had all the trees in the ground and matted around in 4.5 hours.

Myself and a couple friends of mine had another full day and a half or so of prep flagging out the site, moving equipment, prepping everything, etc.

Now we just need some rain and about 10 years!
 
Hope the rain finds your project, I had just over 1.5" this morning from the night. The radar shows more rain around the region than I have seen for a long time...maybe we will work out of this drought pattern we have been in for 3 years. I transplanted a few ditch cedars, dogwoods and plums recently, so I am loving this rain.
 
Update: got out and seeded a mix of clovers and alfalfa between all the rows and 30ft around the perimeter of the whole planting. Hoping it will double as a good firebreak as well as excellent brood-rearing and help keep weed pressure down.

Also seeded about 1/2 acre of pure cave-rock switch between the outside “snow fence” rows and the main shelter belt.

Now we hope for rain!
 

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Love the update pics!

I’m working on planting 700 white spruce as a road screen. I’m stuck on what I want to plant between the rows. I am hesitant on switch as it might crowd out the young spruce but don’t really want clover near the road for the deer’s sake.
 

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SDinWI said:
Love the update pics!

I’m working on planting 700 white spruce as a road screen. I’m stuck on what I want to plant between the rows. I am hesitant on switch as it might crowd out the young spruce but don’t really want clover near the road for the deer’s sake.
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I sure wish we would have had access to the fabric roller with ours. I believe these fellas run the fabric OVER THE TREES after planting them and the go back and cut a slit and pull the tree through. With that fabric holding back the vegetation for a few years, that switchgrass might not be a bad idea. It seems to stay where you put it. Another great habitat project!
 
Cy, if you have been getting similar rains on your side of the state as we have been receiving, it couldn't get much better for those new plantings! I think they said Sioux City is over 4" above normal now, for the year...a very moist one so far. A lot of seed still in the bag, but the farmers aren't complaining...yet.
 
remy3424 said:
Cy, if you have been getting similar rains on your side of the state as we have been receiving, it couldn't get much better for those new plantings! I think they said Sioux City is over 4" above normal now, for the year...a very moist one so far. A lot of seed still in the bag, but the farmers aren't complaining...yet.
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It has been a good spring so far this year indeed. Hoping to get out there tomorrow and check on things!
 
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