Tree Species to plant for visual barrier

[Mike Castillo]

Hi everyone, this is my first post here...displaced from the QDMA forums. I bought a piece of property last year that is coming along...my biggest priority this season is to plant some trees in the spring primarily as a visual barrier, as a big part of my property is quite visible and is a destination food plot...

The land is clay soil, and can get pretty wet at times, and the area in which I intend to plant is currently fallow crop fields. White Pines grow well on my property, so I am thinking to plant them, as they grow pretty fast, and as I understand are pretty easy to get established. I also considered some type of spruce. Any thoughts on this before I place an order for a few hundred 2-2 white pines?

 

[bueller]

Welcome aboard Mike. You gave a good description of your soils but didn't include your location...

 

[wiscwhip]

Norway Spruce works great in most areas. Black spruce if it is wet. White pine is good as well, but if you have a lot of deer, they will usually eat them to the dirt when they are young, so either overwhelm them with sheer number of seedlings so they can't eat them all, or be prepared to protect the bud caps with window screen.

 

[Bill]

Where are you located?
How much height is required to make a decent screen?
Does pretty wet mean standing water? If so for how long after a rain does it stand?

 

[Mike Castillo]

Thanks for all the great responses. I am in the Champlain valley of Vermont. We have quite low deer numbers...I would guess 5-10 per square mile. I have planted 1/2 acre of soybeans and have them produce lots of beans in the fall if that tells you anything...so browse pressure is not much of a concern.

November forever, what is 3/0 ns?

I was told by my forester that Norway spruce is considered an invasive tree and therefore should not be planted.

I would say 6'-8' at least to create a good screen, more in some less in others.

This area does not get standing water...a lot of my property does, but this area does not. With the lowland clay soils, however, it holds water, and can take a few days to drain in a good rain. Burr Oak, Swamp White Oak, Red Maple, Shagbark Hickory, Hemlock, Basswood, and white pine grow well on my property.

Thanks again!

 

[Bill]

Regulars are probably tired of hearing me plug Miscanthus Giganthus. I know you said tree and this is grass. But it will be a wall in 3 years unlike waiting for a tree.

Not sure of your growing zone up there but it is rated for zones 4 through 9. If your soil is wet but not flooded it should do well.

Just another option. Lots of info here http://www.habitat-talk.com/index.php?posts/110229/

 

[Bill]

I'm hunting from the second story of my barn with a rifle as I type this. Just snapped this pic. It's the tall grass on the right. 12 foot tall and there is indeed a road behind it.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[bueller]

Bill, I haven't followed the MG threads. What kind of maintenance/care is needed after you get the MG established?

 

[Bill]

I mow it to the ground in the spring and spray with round up before it emerges. Early April. Once established it doesn't need much weed control. Needs some the first 3 years.

 

[Bucks&Ducks]

Thanks for all the great responses. I am in the Champlain valley of Vermont. We have quite low deer numbers...I would guess 5-10 per square mile. I have planted 1/2 acre of soybeans and have them produce lots of beans in the fall if that tells you anything...so browse pressure is not much of a concern.

November forever, what is 3/0 ns?

I was told by my forester that Norway spruce is considered an invasive tree and therefore should not be planted.

I would say 6'-8' at least to create a good screen, more in some less in others.

This area does not get standing water...a lot of my property does, but this area does not. With the lowland clay soils, however, it holds water, and can take a few days to drain in a good rain. Burr Oak, Swamp White Oak, Red Maple, Shagbark Hickory, Hemlock, Basswood, and white pine grow well on my property.

Thanks again!

3/0 NS is 3 year old seedlings (none transplanted) of Norway Spruce. I have no idea why your forester would say they are invasive. They may be non native but invasive seems like a big stretch. They are no more invasive than any other evergreen you would plant.

I would say plant 2 to 3 rows of norway spruce, white spruce or white pine. I would suggest norway spruce but the others would do if you are concerned. I would also plant hybrid willows 1 to 2 rows of hybrid willows . This will give you a quick screen while the conifer screen will be thicker and more permanent.

I went the conifer only route and am still waiting on it 3-4 years later and its not close to a screen yet. I am going to be planting some sort of willow screen to help in the meantime.

 

[Jameson]

Maybe add in some Highbush Cranberry to fill in some spots near the roads/trails until the evergreens are bigger. Deer generally don't browse them and they may do good in your soils.

 

[Catscratch]

I mow it to the ground in the spring and spray with round up before it emerges. Early April. Once established it doesn't need much weed control. Needs some the first 3 years.

Bill, I have questions!

How tall does it get in year 1, year 2, and year 3?
How wide does each plant grow... how close together does it need planted for a screen?
How long does it take before you can start breaking them apart and transplanting rhizomes?
Thanks.

 

[Bowsnbucks]

Mike Castillo - Norway spruce are the fastest growing spruce - fact. They keep limbs all the way to the ground, unlike white pines which, by their nature, will lose the lower limbs as they grow. It's just what white pines do. White pines grow fast, but lose the screening ability after a few years. We have them at my camp and that's why we switched to Norway spruce for road screens.

I've planted thousands of N.S. at camp over the last 20 years. We have heavier soil and sandier, lighter soil and the N.S. do well in both soil types. We also plant white spruce and have good luck with them as well. Norway spruce are not native to the U.S.. but they are not invasive. Our Pa. state Game Commission agency sells N.S. seedlings every spring for habitat improvement / re-forestation. Invasive means a plant spreads in an uncontrolled, rapid fashion. N.S. do not fit that description. We have had no such problem with Norway spruce. In fact - they are probably the best thing we have planted at camp for road screens and thermal / security / bedding cover.

N.S. don't grow much the first 2 - 3 years because they are establishing their root systems. But starting in year 3, they take off and grow pretty well for the next 10 to 20 years. I throw down some 10-10-10 fertilizer starting in spring of year 2 and keep that up for the next 5 or 6 years to speed up the growth process. Typically by year 6 I have 6 to 7 ft. trees. For road screens, I plant them in 2 rows, staggering them to fill in gaps in the front row. I space them at 10 ft. so they get good and thick. A camp up the road from mine did that about 20 years ago and you can't see anything 10 ft. from the road. No more road - shooting from poachers and spot-lighters !! Our property now has the same " living wall " screening our place. We love Norway spruce.

 

[Bill]

Bill, I have questions!

How tall does it get in year 1, year 2, and year 3?
How wide does each plant grow... how close together does it need planted for a screen?
How long does it take before you can start breaking them apart and transplanting rhizomes?
Thanks.

Click on this link and all your questions will be answered. :D

http://habitat-talk.com/index.php?posts/4642/

 

[Catscratch]

Click on this link and all your questions will be answered. :D

http://habitat-talk.com/index.php?posts/4642/

Thanks. Looks like I have some reading to do.
First looks make it seem easy to work with and good results. I foresee liking this plant!

 

[wiscwhip]

I was told by my forester that Norway spruce is considered an invasive tree and therefore should not be planted.

Technicality ^^^ true apples(not crab apples) are also non-native and are about as invasive as a Norway Spruce would be, everyone still plants apple trees..........

 

[Mike Castillo]

Great info guys...I really like the idea of Norway Spruce...heck I am not going to plant them throughout the woods, just as a screen. I planted a BOB mix of frigid forage plot screen this year, but I didn't control the weeds well enough and didn't fertilize, and it only grew a few ft. tall. My plan is to plant some trees for a long term solution, and plant this again with better prep in the meantime.

What is a good source for Norway Spruce seedlings? The place my forrester suggested here in Vermont does not have it, only white spruce...

Thanks again!

 

[Bowsnbucks]

I get ours at Flickinger's Nursery ( flicknursery.com ), or Musser Forests ( musserforests.com ) here in Pa. Both have good trees.

 

[Bucks&Ducks]

NCR and Itasca should have plugs if you wanted to go that route. I have no idea what the shipping would be from MN to VT.