Shelter Belts

[Skeeter]

I got a 5000-6000 tree grant through the North Dakota Petroleum counc. I had to push my planting back a full year now due to covid and other reasons, but next spring we will diving in. This is a nice program through them. The trees and tree planter are provided. You provide a 60 hp+ tractor and all of the labor. Need 6-8 people if doing fabric also. You pay 25% of cost of fabric and that's really the only expense. I am not planning on doing the fabric as of now with my set up. They will show you how to plant a row or two of trees and then you are cut loose with your own crew planting the rest of the trees. I do really love these projects, about as close to free as you can get and there isn't a ton of BS attached to them. NRCS would be $15,000+ for this size of project.

Other programs through the game and fish and a variety of other programs require you to allow access for hunting or recreation, and for a small acreage like I have, that was not going to happen. The only requirement for this grant is that they have their tree guy come and inspect the trees once a year to see how they are coming along. They give recommendations how to care for and fix any issues.

The hard works starts after the trees are planted. I have planted a lot of trees by hand, have had many survive, but I've had an absolute shit load die too. Like KDM said, you have to visit the trees once a week or so and take care of any issues immediately to get a good stand, which can take a solid 10 years. This is also why I've been religious about food plots and getting the deer use to them, hopefully they will stay away from the trees with ample amounts of food. Wishful thinking I suppose.

Feel free to pm me and I can send you the info I have on the program.

your wife isn’t as thrilled about this as you are.

 

[Taylorman55]

your wife isn’t as thrilled about this as you are.

haha. Yeah, it's taking away valuable horse riding property for her.

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One thing that a lot do not take into consideration when planting trees is the first winter and "tree burn". I hand planted about 250 2.5-3 foot evergreen and spruces about 5 years ago. We had a lot of cold winds that winter. The deer never touched them, but almost every single one of them died. I had talked with a lot of people about this, tree people from all over. After a few of them saw my trees it was concluded it was "tree burn."

When considering where I was putting trees, they get absolutely piss pounded by those winter winds. Group consensus said I needed to plant a row or two of easy fast growing trees. Willows, hybrid willows etc to cut down on the wind that the evergreens, spruces etc. were seeing their first winter. Taking even 10-15% of the wind off of them, or disrupting that wind may have saved them. Just a thought for you guys planting in the middle of the prairie like me.