As we are surrounded by snow and ice this February, this is a great time to plan our spring plantings, and as our communities continues to recover from the 2020 derecho, planting a native tree has never been more important!
A year and a half after the natural disaster, you can still see broken limbs and gaps in the tree cover everywhere. Many homeowners and landowners are still waiting to get their tree stumps ground up before they can put new roots in the ground.
It’s sad to learn that more than 950,000 landscape, forest, and windbreak trees were damaged in Linn County alone, according to a 2021 DNR report. These numbers dwarf the losses that we’ll see this year and coming years due to many trees with the equivalent of a “weakened immune system.”
The Chinese proverb was right. “The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second-best time is now.” Well, “now” being this spring!
Here’s a few tips to make your tree planting worth your time, energy, and money:
• Most importantly, plant a native tree or shrub. Native trees evolved within the Iowa ecosystem, so they do well in our climate. Also native birds and pollinators need native trees and shrubs to survive.
• Don’t plant all of the same species as your neighbors. Diversity is key to make sure that we don’t repeat the mistakes that made us vulnerable when Dutch elm disease and emerald ash borer wreaked havoc (and continue to) on our tree canopy. Maple trees are quite beautiful, but we need to plant other species to keep our tree canopy diverse. Fast growing hybrids such as Autumn Blaze maple are tempting right now since we miss our shade and wanted it back yesterday, but as Iowa District Forester Mark A. Vitosh recently told me, this tree was very susceptible to storm damage and many didn’t survive the derecho.
• Well grown transplants have a good chance of survival. Trees with well-established roots are worth the cost. And surprisingly, a well-grown smaller tree with a strong root system and thicker stem will actually grow faster and be healthier than a taller one with a skinny stem and crowded roots.
• Water. The ISU Extension Service recommends watering every seven to 10 days after transplanting, continued through summer and into fall. Small trees usually require watering for one or two growing seasons. It may be necessary to periodically water large trees for two or three years.
• Consider buying your tree through a fundraiser that furthers conservation. Linn Soil and Water Conservation District is one of several organizations this spring using tree proceeds to fund other conservation efforts. Our 2021 tree sale put more than one thousand trees and shrubs into the hands of Linn County landowners, plus helped us fund our partnerships with The Indian Creek Watershed and Pheasants Forever, hire an experienced technical staff member to help get more conservation on the land, and offer an excellent cover crop field day to farmers who want to see the practice at work. Go to www.LinnSWCD.com for more details.