BuckSutherland
5 year old buck +
I see the exact same thing as you. It takes a good 4-5 years for spruce to really get going at my place. Spruce tend to really struggle in the early years. The clay is sticky and heavy. The white pines have no problem at all. They go like hell from day 1. A weed mat to smoother the competition is mandatory for my spruce.
I have over 100 white cedars that I have planted and caged. They do really well against the clay.
Red pine cant hardly make it on my land. I bet half the ones I have planted have died. The clay is too much for them. I have a few dozen Austrian pines. They grow decent, but I just might be too far north for them. They had severe winter burn last year. Couple dozen Scotch pine look pretty good.
Clear winners for me are white pine and white cedar. Norway and white spruce seem to get going strong after 5 years. Planting bigger trees helps them get going a lot quicker.
I have over 100 white cedars that I have planted and caged. They do really well against the clay.
Red pine cant hardly make it on my land. I bet half the ones I have planted have died. The clay is too much for them. I have a few dozen Austrian pines. They grow decent, but I just might be too far north for them. They had severe winter burn last year. Couple dozen Scotch pine look pretty good.
Clear winners for me are white pine and white cedar. Norway and white spruce seem to get going strong after 5 years. Planting bigger trees helps them get going a lot quicker.
