The trees were planted in the spring of (2006 or 2005?).
I set around 12 acres in trees, which joins together two other small pieces of woodland on my property. The result is about 30 acres of continuous woodland.
The rows in the new part are 13 feet apart to facilitate mowing for the first few years and the trees were set 7 feet apart within each row. Some die, and you can always thin if necessary.
In the picture below you see what looks like a yellow cowboy boot. That’s the tree planting. I planted white pine 3 or 4 deep for screening on the bottom of the boot where it borders a county road that ends at my gate.
Red is the property line and all fields are now in NWSGs. Food plots are outlined in green. White boxes are current stand locations. Blue is ponds and the stream.
On the side facing my other land (the east side) I planted the smaller type fruit and nut trees facing a pasture (which is now NWSGs) so that they would get lots of sunshine and be productive. The first three rows of trees on this side are mostly the small ones that produce fruit and nuts. Then before you get to the taller trees (to the west), there are two rows of shrubs. The shrubs are also mixed in with the fruit and nut trees in the first three rows.
Over the years as I did maintenance and had to replace some trees, I added some variety. The following list contains the ones set originally + the ones I added later on.
Large Trees Planted:
White Oak
Swamp White Oak
Chinkapin Oak
Post Oak
Bur Oak
Overcup Oak
Cherry Bark Oak
Northern Red Oak
Pin Oak
Pecan (pretty much lost all of them)
White Pine (Screen the road and other places + mixed in the planting)
Yellow Poplar (too many and thinning now)
Norway Spruce (a few in the last few years to fill some holes)
Black Walnut (just a few – most died anyway)
Green Ash (not many and most didn’t do well)
Eastern Hemlock (don’t have many but love them)
Fruit, Nut and Shrub:
Persimmon (seedlings + a few grafted)
Pawpaw
Elderberry
Chinese Chestnut (probably have 30 or more – some very nice now)
Dunstan Chestnut (just a few)
Arrowwood Viburnum
Serviceberry
Wild Plum (two varieties)
Red Osier Dogwood
Mulberry (white and red)
Witch Hazel
Hazelnut (American and European)
Domestic Pear (several different varieties)
Domestic apple (several different varieties)
Crabapple (several different varieties)
Domestic Cherry trees (several sprouts from my FIL’s yard)
Sawtooth (got about 10 by accident but planted them)
The first year those trees were planted, when it came time to mow I had to have my dad walk in front of the tractor at some places to keep me out of the rows. You couldn’t even see the trees for the grass. That area was a fescue field when we started.
I know I’m leaving out some that I can’t remember, but you get the idea – lots of diversity.
Briers got so bad by the second year, I literally had to take a shovel and beat them off the top of the trees. Once the trees finally got their head above the briers, they were headed for the sky.
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This is a picture of the bottom of the yellow boot. I’m about 30 feet from the road, so this is what you see driving to my gate.
[URL='http://s219.photobucket.com/user/Steve_Conover/media/1%20-%20Temporary%20Spring%2015/57B44512-1104-49AD-AF1F-214EA80460CC_zpsufxsbbqw.jpg.html']
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[URL='http://s219.photobucket.com/user/Steve_Conover/media/FarmPicture42_zps62318b25_1.jpg.html'][URL='http://s219.photobucket.com/user/Steve_Conover/media/1%20-%20Temporary%20Spring%2015/57B44512-1104-49AD-AF1F-214EA80460CC_zpsufxsbbqw.jpg.html']][/URL]
[URL='http://s219.photobucket.com/user/Steve_Conover/media/FarmPicture42_zps62318b25_1.jpg.html'][URL='http://s219.photobucket.com/user/Steve_Conover/media/1%20-%20Temporary%20Spring%2015/57B44512-1104-49AD-AF1F-214EA80460CC_zpsufxsbbqw.jpg.html'][/URL]
[URL='http://s219.photobucket.com/user/Steve_Conover/media/FarmPicture42_zps62318b25_1.jpg.html'][URL='http://s219.photobucket.com/user/Steve_Conover/media/1%20-%20Temporary%20Spring%2015/57B44512-1104-49AD-AF1F-214EA80460CC_zpsufxsbbqw.jpg.html']So basically, it just took some dedication fighting briers and sweet gums. If I had just let this field grow up it would eventually be a mess of sweet gum, poplar and other junk. Yes, you would have some cover for a few years but basically barren of food and eventually the cover would be gone and nothing left but worthless trees.[/URL]
[URL='http://s219.photobucket.com/user/Steve_Conover/media/FarmPicture42_zps62318b25_1.jpg.html'][URL='http://s219.photobucket.com/user/Steve_Conover/media/1%20-%20Temporary%20Spring%2015/57B44512-1104-49AD-AF1F-214EA80460CC_zpsufxsbbqw.jpg.html'][/URL]
[URL='http://s219.photobucket.com/user/Steve_Conover/media/FarmPicture42_zps62318b25_1.jpg.html'][URL='http://s219.photobucket.com/user/Steve_Conover/media/1%20-%20Temporary%20Spring%2015/57B44512-1104-49AD-AF1F-214EA80460CC_zpsufxsbbqw.jpg.html']You might say I changed the destiny of a forest. [/URL]
[URL='http://s219.photobucket.com/user/Steve_Conover/media/FarmPicture42_zps62318b25_1.jpg.html'][URL='http://s219.photobucket.com/user/Steve_Conover/media/1%20-%20Temporary%20Spring%2015/57B44512-1104-49AD-AF1F-214EA80460CC_zpsufxsbbqw.jpg.html'][/URL]
[URL='http://s219.photobucket.com/user/Steve_Conover/media/FarmPicture42_zps62318b25_1.jpg.html'][URL='http://s219.photobucket.com/user/Steve_Conover/media/1%20-%20Temporary%20Spring%2015/57B44512-1104-49AD-AF1F-214EA80460CC_zpsufxsbbqw.jpg.html']I do whatever mowing and maintenance that is needed in the spring and then get out. I will keep a walking path mowed on the east edge. I will occasionally walk the east edge to check some cameras and munch on some fruit, and by hunting season the weeds take it again. It will be full of deer by season. Our country is mediocre for big deer, but if there is a big one around, I can count on where he will spend the fall.[/URL][/URL][/URL][/URL][/URL][/URL][/URL][/URL]
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