I'm in Lake of the Woods, so that's zone 3 I believe. Yeah this northern portion of MN and ND are a little odd, the freeze thaw cycles along with the harsh winds can be pretty gnarly on most trees, I mean look what happened to Bemidji and Cass Lake area this summer with the shear winds/tornado. I haven't experienced the really early frost or late frost up here that other folks have in the past, we are talking frost in June and frost in August. A little abnormal, but definitely detrimental to a lot of plants, just talk to anyone who has an outdoor garden all the strategy that is involved to grow certain plants in these northern climates. I can only imagine what it is like in northern Ontario or Manitoba for folks.
Last time I saw Grand Fir I was in Colorado, near Winter Park at the elevation relative to Minnesota of 8,000-11,000 feet. Above the aspen that's for sure, and on very poor soil, very little organic matter and bedrock.
I don't know much about Austrian pine, Meyer spruce, or Canadian hemlock. They just aren't common on most properties and what I've seen in the natural woods, to be honest. Black hills spruce is a subspecies of white spruce, just smaller. Pretty hardy, I've heard from folks in the DNR and landowners I'm working with in the NW MN that it is working pretty good as a windbreak tree. Probably could do a mixture of both to satisfy a windbreak along with Norway spruce. Again all three of those are pretty hardy, provide a lot of cover, and are for the most in the lake states pretty resistant to pests.
Now to Scotch Pine... Here is just a list of the issues with it:
The pine root collar weevil
(Hylobius radicis) is a major cause of tree death in young plantations in the Lake States. The weevil girdles the tree at the base, killing it within 3 to 4 years. The damage is especially severe on dry sandy soils. The fast-growing central European trees are particularly susceptible (26). In Michigan, on low quality sites, mortality frequently reaches 70 to 80 percent.
The pine root tip weevil
(Hylobius rhizophagus) causes serious damage in Michigan on Scotch pine Christmas trees grown from stump culture. These trees result from leaving the lower limbs on cut trees to grow into a second tree crop. The pine root tip weevil larvae feed on the roots and root tips, resulting in reduced height growth and flagged shoots, and eventual death. In some cases the pine root tip weevil and the pine root collar weevil attack some Scotch pine stands simultaneously, causing more mortality than expected from either insect alone (7).
The European pine sawfly
(Neodiprion sertifer) causes moderate damage in Christmas trees and ornamental plantings. Heavy defoliation reduces growth from 10 to 20 percent. The fast-growing Scotch pine variety
uralensis shows some resistance to this insect while the slow-growing variety
iberica is most susceptible (27).
If Scotch pine is pruned in midsummer, the Zimmerman pine moth may be attracted to the fresh pitch. The larvae feed in the cambial region, causing masses of coagulated pitch and frass to collect. Feeding by several larvae at the same whorl may kill the tree top or the entire tree. Partially girdled stems frequently break at the weakened area during storms (28).
The white pine weevil
(Pissodes strobi) burrows into terminal shoots and kills them. This insect is very damaging to trees on light soils but causes only minor damage on better sites (28). The eastern pine shoot borer
(Eucosma gloriola) also burrows in the pith of new growth. In Michigan plantations, this insect is universal but causes only minor damage.
The pine spittlebug
(Aphrophora parallela) is a serious pest in many Scotch pine Christmas tree plantations. Heavy infestations of spittlebugs may cause twig, branch, and tree mortality. In one 19-year-old Scotch pine plantation in southern Michigan, the pine spittlebug has apparently acted as the vector for the fungus disease
Sphaeropsis sapinea; mortality is now 25 percent and is continuing.
Lophodermium needlecast caused by the fungus
Lophodermium seditiosum is the most serious disease of Scotch pine Christmas tree plantations. The major loss is due to premature defoliation resulting in unsalable Christmas trees. In general, the longer needle provenances are resistant to this disease. The problem is minor in forest stands (8).
Scotch pine is also a host for brown spot needle disease of southern pines
(Scirrhia acicola). This disease, like
Lophodermium, causes premature defoliation and is primarily limited to Christmas tree plantations. The long needle provenances are also more resistant to this disease (16).
Western gall rust
(Endocronartium harknessii) is common on Scotch pine in the Lake States and the Northeast. Individual trees may have several hundred galls. In most cases damage is limited to branch mortality and growth loss.
As described earlier, Scotch pine is susceptible to scleroderris canker. This disease is present in many areas in Europe, and as a result, certain Scotch pine provenances show some resistance. Scotch pine is more resistant to scleroderris canker than red pine, and in some areas, red pines have been eliminated from the stand while Scotch pines are still alive. Scleroderris canker can be spread on cut Scotch pine Christmas trees. Therefore, State quarantines have been established to prevent the movement of this disease into noninfected areas (15).
REFERENCE:
https://research.fs.usda.gov/silvics/scotch-pine
So you can see why I push for native plants, because you are playing with fire in terms of getting the most bang for your buck in the long run. Sure it may do good in the first few years, but just like Ash and Emerald Ash Borer, or Sudden Oak Death, no one wants to come to their property and over the course of a year or even 6 months and see an entire chunk die off. And the damage growing.
That is why I push folks and why I joined, because I think a lot of the businesses and organizations that push wildlife habitat management or even land agents that sell properties there is a lot of misinformation that is pushed out there and to be honest, not all, but there are bad apples that are just looking out for their bottom line. Id rather be a partner with someone and help them over the course of 10-20 years, let's say, and for the most part, a forester as should wildlife biologist, be a person that is informing you.
If you got a pocket that is working even for a non-native you might have lucked out and just have it in the right microclimate that works. Other trees could be blocking the harsh winds, ash trees are huge hydrology pumps for water tables and so affect the surrounding area, same with pine and walnut that change the pH levels and introduce jugulars into the soils to limit other plant growth and diversity.
I mean I've seem ponderosa and sequoia grown in MN...was it like out west, no. It can be done, the question is should it be done.
So to keep wrap up this large post...do your research, use native as much as possible. And if your worried about not enough diversity I would look at trees that are just a little bit south of where you are, most DNRs, MNDNR has this, I have this, a ecological-climate adaptability sheet, basically looking at if the climate is getting warmer and drier, or colder and wetter as predicted in some areas what species are predicted to do better, all while being native.
