Bulk pines planting

[H20fwler]

Here is a BHS that deer browsed in the two weeks between planting and caging, just nipping ends off, you can see the white sap tips.
They will grow back even thicker and the cage should protect fine for the next few years until they are well established.

Also a group of white pines planted in a “clump” for future thermal cover and screen. All in one big enclosure that I referred to in post #10. Biggest trees in the clumps are maybe 7’ tall now.

And a pic of a pine right along the road with no protection, I will get to caging the rest of the confers this winter to stop that.

On a do-over I would not plant any white pines at all only Norway and BHS.
White pines are pure deer candy and loose there bottom branches after fifteen to twenty years. Mature pines have zero thermal value for me or screening benefits, I’m sure there is some wildlife value though….just not as good as the spruce IMO.

Also I have no conifers naturally growing in my county…so the deer are drawn to them.

 

[4wanderingeyes]

Do you think you need to cage the BHS? Or do you think they would survive?

 

[H20fwler]

Do you think you need to cage the BHS? Or do you think they would survive?

They definitely need cages until bigger to keep from getting rubbed.
The browsing isn’t as big of a deal to me, I think once trees are established good they can keep ahead of that.
I am in a very low deer density area, the more deer you have the worse the attraction would be.
I also think if there are naturally lots of conifers growing in the area that would lower the attention new ones would get.

 

[BuckSutherland]

Do you think you need to cage the BHS? Or do you think they would survive?

I have not seen BHS spruce browsed in McLeod county where I live. Never seen one get rubbed in McLeod county either. Doesnt mean it doesnt happen, just what I have seen.


I have about a dozen that look like this up in Cass county. They are not in cages. Pretty low DPSM so I'm not very worried about them getting rubbed. I wanna see how they can do without cages in case I am lucky enough to score another piece of land in the neighborhood. Experiment. Planted these tree last spring. This picture with all the tender fresh growth was about 60 days after planting. Last time I saw them was Labor Day so I am unsure of their present condition. We have plenty of other available more desirable trees in the neighborhood for the deer to bother. I'm betting the deer dont really bother them on my land. If they leave mine alone I would bet they leave yours alone as well with all the native white spruce you have.


Notice my recycled mulch and weed mat?? Yes, they really help the trees take off that quick for me. 2 gallon pot from my NRCS

 

[4wanderingeyes]

Thanks guys!

I live on the property, so I can keep an eye on them, and if they rub, or browse them I will shoot them! I mean cage the trees. I am planting a bunch of white cedars, and I know I will need them caged, and also planting as many dogwood bushes as I can, and a couple other bushes that will need some protecting, so I will let the BHS go unprotected at first.

 

[rocksnstumps]

On a do-over I would not plant any white pines at all only Norway and BHS.
White pines are pure deer candy and loose there bottom branches after fifteen to twenty years. Mature pines have zero thermal value for me or screening benefits, I’m sure there is some wildlife value though….just not as good as the spruce IMO.

Up in the north country when winter finally shows up the turkeys prefer to roost up in mature red or white pine. Most of the pine here are planted in blocks in a plantation layout and up off the ground in a thicker stand they can offer some decent wind protection and still have somewhat open limbs for being able to fly up into. Your observation is correct that at ground level they don't offer much cover for deer when they get over 20-30 years old. Spruces offer much better thermal protection for deer but too thick and not much use for turkeys.

I have blocks of pine and spruce on my land and find that my spring turkey hunting is better early season when the birds have already been roosting in my or the neighbors pines in the late winter.

When winters are really ugly with deep snow the deer and turkey bail and go hang out in the patches of cedar swamps not too far away for the best thermal protection and least amount of snow. It takes the turkeys awhile to filter back to my neighborhood in the spring those years and my early season hunts are not so productive. But most years the nearby pines keep the turkeys in the neighborhood.

 

[Bowsnbucks]

Perfect illustration of the difference, H20. It's just how pines grow. We have thousands of white pines coming up at camp - and they don't do much for cover unless we top them a few times to keep them short and thicker. TOO MUCH WORK!!! We plant spruce, throw a cage on 'em - 5 to 7 years we're good to go. Great looking BHS, BTW!!

 

[H20fwler]

Perfect illustration of the difference, H20. It's just how pines grow. We have thousands of white pines coming up at camp - and they don't do much for cover unless we top them a few times to keep them short and thicker. TOO MUCH WORK!!! We plant spruce, throw a cage on 'em - 5 to 7 years we're good to go. Great looking BHS, BTW!!

I never thought of maybe trying to keep the pines shorter intentionally… might have more value for cover if they were bushier.
Interesting

At what height do you top them?

 

[williams111]

I never thought of maybe trying to keep the pines shorter intentionally… might have more value for cover if they were bushier.
Interesting

At what height do you top them?

I have been pondering this for some time. There are some red cedars growing near me that appear to have had the central leader damaged/cut somehow and they turn into 10-15' tall bushes essentially. They look like perfect cover for the deer. Could the same theory be applied to these trees as apple trees when It comes to pruning? If the central leader is cut will it put more energy/growth into pushing out lower branches?

 

[chucker66]

Anyone near Rhinelander want some free tree?

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[roymunson]

called the guy I got my cedars from 2 years ago. He had a great idea. Why not bare root some cedars this spring. Boom.

Will probably lose some, but we will have more success with that over pines. Going to mix in a few hardwoods too just to make a blend.

 

[Tree Spud]

Do you think you need to cage the BHS? Or do you think they would survive?

If they are not browsed, they will be rubbed.

 

[Bowsnbucks]

I never thought of maybe trying to keep the pines shorter intentionally… might have more value for cover if they were bushier.
Interesting

At what height do you top them?

On the ones we've topped, we generally cut the tops off when they're about 4 ft. tall. We then shorten the next lowest limbs below the top-cut to try to keep a conical shape to them, and push new branches & branch shoots. They generally DO get more branches - but the shapes aren't always pretty. Bushier is the goal on topped white pines.

I only top a few anymore, in strategic places where the extra thickness might add to cover or wind-breaking. Spruce just out-shine white pines as cover and wind breakers to make topping pines a big effort. Our biggest, oldest pines on the property are USELESS as cover and wind breakers. The lower limbs are long-dead and gone. In dense clusters they DO keep much snow from hitting the ground like big umbrellas. They generally end up breaking from high winds or snow & ice loads - then we have big messes to clean up.

 

[Doublewide]

 

[BuckSutherland]

^^^

I've debated pruning some of my white pines eventually, but kinda set against it the more I think about it. The ones that I planted on the highest portions of my land and right along the road wont get pruned for sure. Hopefully in 100-150-200 years they are visible from a couple miles away for future generations to enjoy. Several of those I intend to actually remove the lower limbs as the tree grows to try and promote clear premium lumber (100+ year project). Would be cool to get a couple of them big enough in my lifetime to remove a bunch of the lower limbs and watch them go screaming for the clouds with long straight trunks.


I should have enough other pines like Austrian, spruce, cedar, fir and hemlock to get a bunch of shorter specimens. I planted some zone 4 grand fir as well. Hopefully they can survive for me in zone 3. I think they will make it through this winter since they are buried under 2 feet of snow.


This is my vision for some of my trees. I'm only borrow my land. Hopefully for a few decades, then it will be someone else's turn to borrow it. Thinking of eventually making a monument and plaque or something with a history of what I did with the land in the time I owned it and placing it in a prominent spot.

 

[ksJoe]

pinching may be the best & most effective way to encourage pines to fill out, quicker methods are also beneficial. I have an uncle who grew Christmas trees for years. They would trim the new growth with a machete to maintain shape and encourage them to fill out. With a little practice, a quick pass over each tree with the machete is enough.

 

[4wanderingeyes]

I can get as many free pines that I want to pull out this spring, so while they may not work the greatest, I am going to take advantage of the free trees.

 

[chucker66]

I can get as many free pines that I want to pull out this spring, so while they may not work the greatest, I am going to take advantage of the free trees.

Well if you want to share my property is near Trego so just drop them off at Jacks Canoe Rental

 

[ruskbucks]

Well if you want to share my property is near Trego so just drop them off at Jacks Canoe Rental

I have probably been past your land many times. My mother in law lives in Springbrook on spring lake. I did some hunting up there for a couple years.

 

[4wanderingeyes]

I am about 8 miles North