I think Lisa and I are to the point in our lives that we are content with our home. Lisa and I are homebodies, so we have made a lot of effort to make our home comfortable and low maintenance. There is very little else for us to do, except for one activity. That activity is to plant trees. Much of our current tree planting was spurred by cutting down one type of tree, buckthorn. This invasive species can take over a forest and shut out any diversity in species of trees. We cut the buckthorn then sprayed herbicide on the remaining stumps. On two separate occasions, we have hired a professional with a large forestry mulcher mounted on a skid steer loader to perform largescale buckthorn removal. Even with help, this is a slow process, and my advice is to take on buckthorn one area at a time and prepare for a long-term process.
Pennington Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD) planted several rows of trees in two separate sections of land to replace the buckthorn; both of these sites are old pastures. The process began in 2023 as I rolled up the fence wire surrounding this selected ground then pulled up the old posts. Clearing the ground was a very slow process. While there was only one tree to remove in either of these areas, there were old tree branches and various stuff to remove. Nothing multiplies so well in old farmyards like bias-ply tires, and I found many of these that had to be recycled.
The next action was to lay out tree rows and dig up the old sod. I purchased a five-foot disk to pull with my tractor which did little to prepare the ground. I did purchase a single-shank, deep tiller which did more, however my cultivation efforts were pretty much recreational until I hired a professional with a heavy tiller on the front of a skid steer.
Planting was easy as I did not do it. The crew from Pennington SWCD arrived just prior to the 1 ½ month deluge of rain that began in mid-June. It was perfect timing which led to the fantastic growth of the new trees. The weeds liked all that rainfall too.
The trees are surrounded by a fabric that prevents weed growth, however there has to be a hole created around the tree to poke through the fabric. Weeds are opportunistic and if they see a little sunlight and rain, they grow. We have over 500 new trees planted which equates to over 500 opportunities for weeds to grow in the tiny area of the hole in the landscape fabric. The ground was so moist that these weeds were easy to remove. I used a garden knife to slice the tap root from the broadleaf weeds and then pull them. The trees have really grown a lot this summer.
Lisa and I recently watched a documentary on the dust bowl. The dust bowl occurred because of poor farming practices for the type of land, a drought, intense heat and a lack of ground cover. Our soil in this area is different and our practices are better, but our ground cover is sometimes poor. Snow and dirt blow fairly often each winter. Trees slow the wind which leaves more soil in place. I have noticed more tree rows being removed, many of these planted through programs at Soil and Water Districts or the Natural Resources Conservation Service. The only way I can think of to replace the good lost during tree removal is to plant more trees.
I see great benefit to growing trees; I also see great beauty in them too. The trees I helped care for as a kid are now the mature trees that protect my nephew’s homeland yard. I plan to always plant trees, even if it means I have to occasionally weed them by hand.
This Week’s Photo Submissions
Val Truscinski Brenda Adamek Deb Filer Gregg Knutsen Sharon Bring Kaydence Augustine Candy Gram Andrea Mimnaugh Pat Moen
Thank You!!
