# conservation projects



## muzzy (Mar 21, 2002)

Just curious, what kind of conservation projects such as habitat enhancement do people on board do? I'm interested in the different things people do and ideas they might have.

I kind of enjoy planting trees. We have a large block planting, and next year I am planning on replacing some of the seedlings that didn't make it with other wildlife valuable plants. I am also working on a 2 row belt on a fenceline as a corridor.

I have purchased seedlings from the SCD before, has anyone tried to grow their own trees from seed? I ordered seeds for colorado blue spruce, black hills spruce, and scotch pine and am going to try and start these in my garden in town and transplant later. I am hoping to save money as the seeds are considerably cheaper than trees. (a whole pile of seeds for $5 vs. $1 for a SCD tree.

Any help/suggestions/hints appreciated!

Thanks.


----------



## Dick Monson (Aug 12, 2002)

Muzzy, that's a good topic. I do about 150 hand plants each year. I want fruit trees or grape vines for song birds, and nut trees for a mast crop. If anybody likes songbirds and upland, stay away from spruce block plantings as the coopers hawks nest there and they specialize in birds for lunch. Rocky Mtn juniper are a good pick too for shelter and the berries. If anybody knows how to propigate from new growth please write it here. Also, I have had no luck transplanting aspen...what is wrong?


----------



## muzzy (Mar 21, 2002)

I don't mind raptors, and my wildlife plantings ar more designed for deer as we have marginal upland hunting in my area. I like the spruce/pine for winter cover, but also plant a variety of fruit shrubs.


----------



## redlabel (Mar 7, 2002)

I'm trying to plant for upland species and figure the deer will benefit as well.

Started last year with a 4 acre plot and put 500 junipers in 4 rows on the north and west for a break and will be planting suckering shrubs next year. I did get 100 dogwood from Itasca Greenhouse in containers that were .34 each when you order a total of 500 in any combination. Their website is http://itascagreenhouse.com

I've got two more 4 1/2 acre plots ready for 1800 junipers and 500 juneberries and chokecherries. I'm modeling them from some CRP shrub planting recommendations by the Game & Fish Department. They have windbreak, snowcatch, some food, and a concentration of shrubs and small trees. The junipers are coming from the State nursery in Towner and run .39. Anybody want to help plant shrubs in the spring?

I wondered about planting from seeds too, when I add up the cost of all the trees I'm planning in the next 5-10 years. Information on how to grow from seeds is tough to come by though.

We also planted 20 acres of food plots but we were so dry that the corn didn't do well. I mixed soghum and millet together and the millet did fair but the sorghum must need to be row planted to do well as the sorghum sprouted but didn't do well.


----------



## muzzy (Mar 21, 2002)

I found the Itasca nursery a couple of days ago, and if you buy a lot of trees, it is remarkably low. The majority of their conifers were .19 a plug if you ordered 500 or more. I didn't really need 500, but for that price I can find a place for them.

I read a little bit about growing the trees. The majority of the spruce seeds can be planted directly in the spring. (some sources say plant directly, some say to store in a cold place such as a fridge for a month or so) Pine trees such as ponderosa and scotch need a period of dormancy, they use a method called stratification, soak the seeds in water for 24 hours and then pack them in wet sand or peat and put them in the fridge (41 degrees is what I read) for 2-3 months depending on species. The juniper and cedar looked a little tougher as they need a long period of warmth (120-180 days) and then need a period of cold weather (120-180 days) to break dormancy. When your seeds are ready, plant them shallow (cover them with a layer of dirt that would equal the height of the seed.

I have quite a bit of eastern red cedar and juniper planted already, so I am going to try and grow spruce and pine. It sounds quite time intensive to grow the juniper/cedar seeds so I think I will just by them if I need more.

I ordered my seed from sheffields.com. The seeds vary in price depending on species and location the seed came from. For instance, they have many different lots of scotch pine seed from all over the world and different climates. I just bought small packets of seed to try the first year. They had anywhere from 80-120 seeds in them depending on species. I bought 3 packets for about $12, that will give me 250 trees depending on germination/survival. The price goes down considerably if you buy a larger quantity. They also test germination on each lot and tell you what the percentage is. There are also directions on seed preparation such as scarification and stratification. Great site.


----------



## redlabel (Mar 7, 2002)

That is quite a site.

If you order from Itasca, order early. I ordered late and due to germination levels did not get everything I ordered this year. I'll know better for next year. They were nice to deal with and very helpful.

The dogwoods from them were in good shape and took well when planted. It was a tough year for planting new trees though. We didn't get any rain from July 4 until into September and then nothing to amount to anything, so I did a lot of watering.

I've got a very nice dogwood hedge about 160' long across my backyard and was thinking of collecting seeds and giving it a try. They seem to grow fast so I'm going to try to make them one of the first in each plot over the years.


----------



## Dick Monson (Aug 12, 2002)

Just a comment on the evergreens. Bucks raise particular hell with scotch pine and norway pine. My neighbor planted a half mile of scotch pines and about a half doz made it to maturity. In '90 I planted 100 norway in a ravine behind the farm----3 made it. The ones planted three years ago I wraped with the white plastic spirals and the bucks pretty much left them alone. Net wire would work too. Juniper and spruce seem to fare better. Scotch are the only tall evergreens I have seen volunteer in the wild.

I don't mind raptors either but when coopers hawks move in there is nothing larger than a goldfinch left. Other raptors don't bother anything. Crows like to nest in spruce too.

Sounds like you guys have a real project going with the seeds.


----------



## muzzy (Mar 21, 2002)

Dogwood is a fabulous plant, it grows fast, deer love to browse on it and it even produces a few berries for birds. It is also very pretty in winter with the red bark against white snow.

redlabel, what size were the seedlings you purchased from Itasca last year? Just curious to what size a person is getting for the price. Did you plant them with the tool that punches a hole in the ground? I noticed they were selling them for $39.00 but I think I can make something that would work, it's just a metal point with a foot rest and a shovel handle.

If you order 500 plants to get the cheap price and you don't get everything you ordered do they up the per plant price, or do they honor the bulk pricing?

Thanks.


----------



## muzzy (Mar 21, 2002)

I look at the raptors a little different than most people do, I figure that birds are made for eating and a hawk probably needs the food more than I do. I'm too fat anyway. :lol:

Dick, I am assuming the bucks are rubbing on them? I wonder why they prefer the pines to spruce. Did you mean Norway spruce, or is there a Norway pine? I am not familiar with the pine if there is one. I thought I might try some Norway spruce as they are supposed to be the fastest growing spruce, and I don't have any of them planted yet. I haven't noticed any deer damage on my scotch and ponderosa pines yet, but they are really little yet, probably not much to rub on.


----------



## redlabel (Mar 7, 2002)

They honor the price for the quanity ordered. You can leave the items on order for next year or reorder. I opted to leave the deposit with them and I'll reorder before December 1st. Last year I ordered in March when I found them on the internet.

The dogwoods were a size 4 and I got 50 caragana because they had them and they were a size 6. I bought the dibble bar from them and used it for planting the junipers last spring. The dogwoods and caragana were easy to plant and I used a regular tree spade and that worked easy as they are not that big. The container was nice because I couldn't get out for two weeks after I got them and I just put them in the yard where they got a little sun each day and watered them every few days. It worked very well.

If you don't want to order 500 we could go together and split an order. It doesn't matter if part of the order goes in the spring and part in the fall, you still get the 500 price. I'm going to order plum, chockecherry, dogwood, and some crabapples as well.

I'm going to try and keep all the trees and shrubs small to not give the raptors any more places than they already have to perch. It probably doesn't make much difference as they travel the area pretty well anyway. I think part of the intention with the suckering shrubs is to develop a canopy that gives some protection from the raptors


----------



## muzzy (Mar 21, 2002)

If your planting for pheasants, your on the right track. They design them short and thick for cover and lack of raptor roosting sites. We don't have any pheasants on our place in NE Ramsey county, so I am not overly worried about it although sharptails are starting to show up. Maybe the adage if you build it they will come will hold true.

When you order 500, how many different species will they split it up for? I noticed that they said 5 species up to 500.

When you say a size 4 (which I think is the pot size), how tall is the tree? Did you order any spruce's or pines, and how big were they if you ordered them? I am worried about survivability if they are too small.

I will think of combining the order, don't know how many I need, I also mentioned it to a friend of mine.


----------



## Dick Monson (Aug 12, 2002)

yes, rubbing. The branches are farther apart on norway (ponderosa) than the spruce and juniper, so it maybe gives them less needles in the head.? The bucks hit em when they are about 3' to 8' tall.


----------



## muzzy (Mar 21, 2002)

That would probably make sense. I would imagine that it would be easier to get to the trunk of a tree on a pine vs. a spruce. We haven't had too much damage yet, but our block is out in the middle of a field with no other cover. Most of our trees are pretty little yet. The deer really hadn't been in there all summer, but they found the juneberries and hammered them hard. I talked to my father a little while ago and he said he saw some deer in there while he was scouting tonight. If they come to eat Friday evening there will be one less flathead running around in there. We left tall strips of grass between the tree rows, hoping to get a good snow load in there and bury the small trees.


----------



## muzzy (Mar 21, 2002)

Red label, if you order the crabapple, try and get the red splendor crab apple. The fruit on the red splendor variety has fruit that persists on the branches well into winter and is a great winter food source. Some of the crab apples drop their fruit pretty early.


----------



## Fetch (Mar 1, 2002)

I've been trying to improve a public water - that has private hay ground next to it - & it has actually held more ducks each year - have planted some Biologic stuff (rice) & some local stuff that I think will help & that ducks seem to like

Plus I keep it clean - remove junk & debris & trash etc. & have trapped it some ( & shot racoons & skunks) the area has a few pheasants too


----------



## Dick Monson (Aug 12, 2002)

"Biologic stuff (rice) & some local stuff that I think will help & that ducks seem to like "

What is that Fetch? Where did you get it, cost, planting?


----------



## Fetch (Mar 1, 2002)

I'm not sure the Biologic stuff did much cause I'm not sure what it really looks like after it grows - But I planted 4 bags of it in a slough amd around the edges - (got it at walleyworld on clearance sale) http://www.outdoorsmansupply.com/store/ ... ffiliate=7

Other stuff I have brought back 5 gal. pails of some water plants I see in other sloughs - the short spikey stuff that mallards seem to like & the wet grasses that (to me) would make the place better :lol: as you can tell I'm no Biologists (I done some reading) & I use Round up to prep areas & get rid of some stuff I don't want taking over.

I have also tried to seed cattails where I want them - but they are tough to get to grow - they have a mind of their own - either everywhere or not at all ???


----------



## Fetch (Mar 1, 2002)

http://search.yahoo.com/search?fr=slv1& ... owl+forage


----------



## redlabel (Mar 7, 2002)

I've been gone pheasant and deer hunting and just got back today. I hunted with just my son and he was able to harvest his first deer and it was a great moment to share.

Thanks for the tip on the red splendor crab. I'm putting my order in with Itasca this week and I've got some coming in the spring and some in August, so if you like you could sure add on for either time. The order can be added to so you can let me know if you and/or your freind want to add or if you have enough on your own.

I received Dogwoods and Caragana and some Lilacs. The dogwood and caragana were 15"-18" high and the lilacs about 6"-8". I only got the Caragana because they didn't have the others I ordered so just planted one row of them.

The junipers I received last year from the Towner nursery were 12"-15" and had a very long root structure so for $0.39 each I thought they were very reasonably priced. I don't know what size the Itasca ones are so can't give any help there.

I'll look up my order from last year tomorrow if I can find it to see how many different I had. It will take a while to find it as my stuff is a little mixed up. All my stuff was packed to move home and it got scrambled and then rescrambled. It's a long story and has the following elements: Fog, Ice on highway, Railroad crossing, train, took ditch to avoid train, rollover, totaled pickup, & destroyed topper. I'm going to be one sore SOB for a few days but actually feel quite lucky that it wasn't worse.

The scariest part was when it was all over, both side windows of the crew cab popped out and I realized my Springer was thrown out of the pick-up. I couldn't find her anywhere after digging through what I could lift by myself. Luckily she appeared from the other side of the road a few minutes later and wanted to check the cattails for pheasants so she was alright.


----------



## muzzy (Mar 21, 2002)

I might tag on with you unless I can come up with 500 myself. I am interested in getting some Scotch Pine, Highbush Cranberry, Chokecherry, Red Splendor Crab, and either Norway or Black Hills Spruce, can't decide on the spruces, would like to try the Norway as it is supposed to grow faster than other spruces but it also has a higher moisture requirement.

The reason I was wondering how many different ways they would break it up is, if we happen to want different species of trees, I wanted to make sure they would honor the price. I wasn't sure if the 5 species they would mix in the order was only up to 500.

It might work to order the tree's together. If I can ever make up my mind I will try and let you know.

What are you ordering for trees? Is there a tree that they recommend for planting in the fall instead of spring?

Thanks.


----------



## redlabel (Mar 7, 2002)

I'll probably order this week. At this point I'm ordering chokecherry, dogwoods, plums, and Red Splendor Crabs.

I'm going to give them a call today and ask if they have any others available.
not listed. I'll double check on the quantities and how the shipping works and let you know.

I don't know enough about trees to know if some are better for spring or fall planting. I just remember that some varieties were only available for shipping after August 20th.


----------



## redlabel (Mar 7, 2002)

The cherry tree I was mentioning last night that the deer love so much is a
Bali Cherry.

They were developed in Alberta and my understanding is their more of a tart cherry rather than a sweet one, but they can be grown in our climate and produce. After I planted them 2 years ago the deer treated them like candy and ate them right to the ground. If I ever try them again I will make sure to put a wire enclosure around them.


----------



## bioman (Mar 1, 2002)

Hey guys, I read your posts and had severe jealousy as I use to work in a reclamation department. Anyway, I wanted to pass on one of the foremost restoration companies and nurseries in the west http://www.revegetation.com. Not sure of where their prices fall, but they are worth a look.

Keep up the good work. Also, please think about taking some photos and posting on the site. I would love to see some success stories.

Cheers!


----------



## tmorrie (Apr 1, 2002)

bioman, good idea on posting pics of our habitat projects. This is the time of the year that good habitat is very important.

I'm probably biased because I do some work for them, but here's a really good site for possible options to increase wildlife populations and farming efficiency. www.HabitatNOW.com


----------



## Scraper (Apr 1, 2002)

This tree planting is great work!

I read an article by a SDSU grad student that studied the survivability of pheasants during the winter of '97 with respect to habitat types.

His findings were clear. Woody block plantings consisting of evergreens and bushes/shrubs configured to trap snow correctly succeeded in keeping pheasants alive. Cattails, willow sloughs, heavy CRP all did well until they filled with snow. The other key factor in differing levels of survival was the proximity of standing food sources. He also determined that one core wintering area (approximately 20 acres) would winter all of the pheasants in a six square mile area.

Think about it. If every township had six core wintering areas, we could limit the catastrophic losses of birds that we saw in '97.

Keep up the good work guys!


----------



## muzzy (Mar 21, 2002)

That is the premis of the coverlocks program. They would like to get a certain number of them in every township in the eligible counties for wintering pheasant areas. The combine tree/shrub plantings and DNC-dense nesting cover


----------



## Fetch (Mar 1, 2002)

I have a Red Splender Crab in My front yard - I planted it over 20 yrs ago when they 1st came out - (who was the guy that developed them - Harrelson or something like that ???) Also has a Ash tree (of his) I planted 6 of those - where I work too

The crab is always loaded with apples & Yes they do hang on longer - The Bohemeim Wax wings Love em when they come thru 

From a old topic ??? I also Have Buckeye trees where I work & have not saved any of the seeds (buckeyes) Big & thorny - would not be good to get in a throwing stuff fight with - Ouch !!! (actually had to move them to keep away from Kids) :roll: How are they to start from the seed ???


----------



## Dick Monson (Aug 12, 2002)

Fetch, buckeyes-horse chestnuts, are easy to start. The thorny part is the husk and will split and fall off when it dries. They have to be picked when the husk starts to color or the critters will harvest all. I try to plant right away in the fall, and have some potted now, also loose nuts that I didn't get in. If you want some I'll mail them up. Soil Conservation might have them too. Plant them where you intend to grow them because they have a root like an oak. The leaves a beautifull in the fall and they make a good mast crop.


----------



## redlabel (Mar 7, 2002)

It's time to find out what everyone is up to this this year.

Anybody want to volunteer what they have planned for planting this Spring.


----------



## Dick Monson (Aug 12, 2002)

rl, am starting 100 grapevines this week. Don't know if the nut trees will come up yet--too early. I did find hazel bushes finally. The hills at Bot are loaded. Won't get any this spring but am planning a ruffed grouse hunt next fall there and will take a trailer for runners.

I am hoping our wildlife club can swing a deal with PF for some WPA renovation. We'll see at the next meeting.


----------



## tmorrie (Apr 1, 2002)

We're planting another 2.5 acre field windbreak using a combination of the following: Caragana, Buffaloberry, Plum, Chokecherry, Cedar, Russ. Olive, Juniper and Buckthorn.

Haven't decided on food plot mixes yet, but need to get the equipment lined up so we don't get it in so late like last year (June 20).

Also hope to start digging some type of dugout this summer to hold a little water.


----------



## Dick Monson (Aug 12, 2002)

No offense, but buckthorn is a host for soybean aphids. The State Noxious Weed Board is considering listing that species as a noxious weed. I'm surprised any nursery would sell them.


----------



## Scraper (Apr 1, 2002)

A landowner cooperator that we have worked with has an excellent recipe for foodplots. He plants roundup ready corn at double the usual row spacing. After the corn grows up (about the end of June after the weeds have been knocked back with Roundup), he broadcasts a mixture of sorghums and millet to fill in the spaces between the rows. The sorghums and millet don't take as long to mature and they don't compete with the young corn. Ideally the sorghums grow tall and then bend over the corn. This effectively creates a roof, protecting the feeding birds from raptors and keeping the corn from snowing in. He winters 100's of birds this way.


----------



## tmorrie (Apr 1, 2002)

Dick, thanks for the info, I'll have to talk to the supplier and if needed it shouldn't be too late to switch them.


----------



## tmorrie (Apr 1, 2002)

Dick,

I should have clarified that it's "Sea-buckthorn" not "Common buckthorn" that I was looking at planting. It looks like Common buckthorn is on the MN noxious weed list and as you stated ND is considering adding it. The people I talked to aren't aware of any issues with Sea-buckthorn.


----------



## redlabel (Mar 7, 2002)

This year is Phase II of our projects and after planting 1000 trees by myself last year I decided to look for help. Thankfully a youth group responded and we will be planting Rocky Mountain Juniper, Juneberry (gonna make some pies in 4 years), Arnolds Hawthorn, Buffaloberry, Chokecherry, Red Osier Dogwood, American Plum, and Red Splendor Crab (thanks for the advice on them Muzzy.)

3200 trees and 30 acres of food plots should take care of most of my days off in May. The next two weekends will be spent getting the planter and drill ready and make sure the old Case is ready to roll.

Then, I can get started on training that sweet little English Setter pup.


----------



## Scraper (Apr 1, 2002)

Redlabel, It sounds like you are building a nice piece of habitat out there, hats off to you and others like you that take the time to invest in the future.


----------



## redlabel (Mar 7, 2002)

Dick,

Those grapevines sound interesting. Where do you get them and the information on where to plant them?


----------



## gandergrinder (Mar 10, 2002)

My dad recently bought a place in the country with 5 acres and it had a runway in back for the previous owners ultralight plane. He is going to kill that runway off and plant tallgrass into it. The land also has a very dense grove along the runway which he plans on inhancing.

Over Easter we moved in 14 evergreens about 10 feet tall for the NW corner to try and cut down the wind. He has a number of other things he plans to do with it to try and attract pheasants and deer.

I really enjoy working on that kind of thing and hope someday I can also buy a piece of property to develop into better wildlife habitat.

A bunch of us have discussed making hen houses but with everyone going different directions in the future we need someone to maintain them. Any suggestions guys on who could do this? We will build them we just need to find people to maintain them.


----------



## Dick Monson (Aug 12, 2002)

rl, grapes are very easy to start if they aren't budded yet. Clip a length of vine two years or older, about a foot long. The important thing is that it has 3 nodes. Fill a milk carton with dirt, and shove in the vine so 1 node is exposed. There should be a couple inches of vine protruding past the node, as the end will dry out and you want to save the bud. Poke some drain holes in the bottom and water. They are usually ready to transplant by July 4th. The down side is they need to be watered the first year, and all grapes are very sensitive to herbicide drift. I cut wild ones along the Sheyenne and also tame from the neighbors. Another good wildlife vine is American Bittersweet. Many folks get a reaction to bittersweet, but birds love it.


----------

