So I convinced my dad to sign a 30 acre parcel of land into a perpetual trust. Only direct descendants are members. It had about 10 acres of corn ground, the rest timber with a spring fed creek through it.

That was in 2006, since then we took the corn ground and planted the whole thing to timber. Some areas didn't make it so this week I've been out planting a couple hundred more trees. Cedars, northern pecan, and black oak.

Hand planting trees in 90 degree heat is about more than this old man can handle. Keeps the deer and turkey happy though.

Planting trees at our age just means we're thinking of the next generation. I've put probably 20 trees on our property over the last 8 years to improve the variety and for the wildlife. It's a good thing to do.

If you have good woods nearby, and squirrels, you likely have willing participants in tree planting, especially for oak and hickory. :) Maples send their seeds via samaras that can helicopter for quite a distance themselves. It's good plant trees for the next generation, and hopefully they will understand the need.

Yea, in my younger days I toyed with the idea of planting a bunch of apple or persimmon trees. Thought too long. What is the sayin'...think long, think wrong, lol!

I like grafting, planting, and tending fruit trees. I grafted some heirloom species from my grandfather's orchard to semidwarf rootstock to preserve them because the trees are very old and dying. I planted some here at my place and some up at camp, plus some chestnut trees. Those up at camp didn't survive the deer and elk. I tried twice. The ground there is terrible so they grew very slowly, and ultimately got destroyed by the critters I was planting them for. Done with that game.

The trees here are doing good. There are two more trees over there I'd like to graft and bring here so I'll probably do one more round of grafting next year, then I'll be out of room.

If you plant semidwarf trees they grow big enough to be out of the deer's reach, but can start producing apples after just a few years.

Never too late to make it better for the future. My grandfather planted 1000's of black walnut trees on on timber ground back in the 60's.

Two years ago planted 200 sawtooth 25 persimmon and 25 chinquapin.

Should read sawtooth oaks. About 20 years ago I planted 100 sawtooth oaks that 46 survived from barefoot seedlings and are now over 30 feet tall.

My Pa , my brothers me and many friends have planted thousands of trees in the past 30years . Mostly white pine red pine , white oak , burr oak ,walnuts apple , hickory and white spruce . We aren’t planting as much past couple years . We did manage to get in 100 white oak and a few apples . It is fun and rewarding !

I’ve planted 1,000’s. This is the first spring I haven’t planted any in a long time.

Bjrogg

Ps with all the dead ash there’s lots of space for them. Just really hard climbing over all the dead trees to plant them.

I planted 60 trees and 15 various bushes last week. I've had my property for 20 years and have always planted something each year. Couple years ago I planted 10 Chestnut. They are still growing. I've got them in tubes.

I've got about 50 White Oaks coming and that will be the extent of my planting this year.

Yeah, I plant trees. I like improving my land and making it mine. I also lost a bunch of Ash. Most of my older trees were Ash so I want to plant good trees to replace them.

Bill

Gray Squirrels are planting Pin Oaks all over my backyard.

I've planted 1,000s over the years. The first two weeks of April, last month, I hand planted 400 more. The ones I have the best luck with have been purchased from the state nursery.

Yes I plant trees .Mostly fruit trees. Apple cherry, plum.pear walnut and peach. Grand kids love to come out and enjoy the fruits of my labour. Also have lots of deer and some trophy deer. I find it very satisfying .

My grandpa always told me the best time to plant fruit trees is twenty years ago. I planted 2 peach and twenty pines last year. Two plum's and two cherry this year. It is very enjoyable to watch them grow.

Thanks for making things greener

I try to plant some trees every year. So far , in varying numbers I have planted native persimmon, Japanese persimmon. Apple, Mexican plum, chestnut, sawtooth oak, burr oak, various pears, pecan,and metley plum.

In 2009 I planted 200 Taxus Bacatta .... they should be ready for bow making some time around 2250

Well, the initial planting in 2007 took 8000 trees, so I guess I've done my part. Got 50 left to do today. I know I'll never see them mature.

The trees I'm taking scions from to graft were mature full sized apple trees when my grandfather bought the place in 1948, so they should be about 100 years old now. They've seen better days but still produce most years. I wonder how many generations of deer have fed under them. I remember picking apples there with grandpap and dad in the late 60's early 70's. Ahhh, that fall orchard smell! I was there yesterday and found a few more morels under them. They're covered in blossoms, again.

Jegs,

The version of that saying I used in my business days in a speech says:

"The best time to plant a tree is 20 years ago. The second best time is TODAY!"

My son and I have hand planted 2000 tress in the last few years in a coolee on our land . We planted cedar, juniper, scotch pine, and several other variety of long needle pines . This year there will be more of the variety that looks the best and we'll start planting a bunch of willows in the bottom of the three draws . My son and grandson will have great hunting in about 10 or 12 years .

I planted these in spring of 1994

I started planting in 1984 and have planted some almost every year since.

I alway heard that you at the same time plant two just the right distance apart and in the perfect spot for a hammock.

Bjrogg

New blood has moved in around me and they've pretty much cut all their trees making me wish I had enough foresight to plant my little bit of acreage in oaks long years ago.

Yes. A lot of them. And it has cost a lot of $ over the years. But I can't stop. Trying to get some chestnuts to production age. There are a lot of ways for a tree to get killed, including my own mower! This year I started 50 chestnuts from seed. It is much cheaper that way. So far they look good. The Alliance for the Chesapeake has us slated for a planting in the spring of 23. They will plant thousands of trees on slopes, ditches and riparian buffers for us. I need to stay on top of my invasive until they get here. Conservation programs hate invasives as much as I do!

Yes. A lot of them. And it has cost a lot of $ over the years. But I can't stop. Trying to get some chestnuts to production age. There are a lot of ways for a tree to get killed, including my own mower! This year I started 50 chestnuts from seed. It is much cheaper that way. So far they look good. The Alliance for the Chesapeake has us slated for a planting in the spring of 23. They will plant thousands of trees on slopes, ditches and riparian buffers for us. I need to stay on top of my invasive until they get here. Conservation programs hate invasives as much as I do!

Hawkeye, that saying is so true.

I have always planted fruit trees: peach, cherry, apple, pear.

Property is loaded with maple, ash ,disappearing now : ( cherry.

But I am hankering to plant some variety of oak, and I know I'd best hurry if I want to see any results.

I plant between 25 and 100 seedlings every year on our 20 acres. The DNR has a sale every spring where we can buy them at a reasonable price and it’s become a Springtime tradition with me. The deer are tough on some varieties but they never get them all. I’ve planted White Oaks, White, Norway and Scotch Pines, Black Cherry, Mountain Ash,and Choke Cherry. This year it’s Red Oaks! I may plant for the next generation but I certainly get a lot of pleasure from the act of planting them and also watching them grow. Cotton

LOL, I love seeing this, and have to wonder how many of the "anti's" spend their treasure and sweat to enhance the future. Way to go gentlemen.

As many of you, I've planted 1000,s through the years. The first trees I planted I was paid 1 pennie for each one, Those were much different times. The pines I planted in my highschool years here on the farm, I've thined for pulp first cutting and 2 log thinning cuts. I now only plant species that are not oaks as almost all my beautiful oaks have died from oak wilt.This year, Maples, Hackbarry, and tulip popular. I've been trying to root some big tooth aspen. Such fun, takes time at 72 yrs.

I’ve planted hundreds, mostly on public land near my home. Still growing trees to plant. It’s an obsession I’d say :)

We planted about 1,000 apple, some pear, and some peach. Late blossom here this year.

been moving sawtooth oaks. they are officially an "invasive species" here, but TWRA has planted them in places too. persimmon trees take years to drop fruit, but deer love them. apple trees nice, but bears are tough on them. want some blight-proof chestnuts...still a mite pricey when i can find them.

The best time to plant a tree is 20 years ago.

The next best is TODAY!

Ive planted over 7000 trees on my property over the last 15 years, started a little 2 acre orchard 5 years ago, added another 20 apple trees to it this morning. Every tree was planted with the szme shovel. I love getting out in the dirt.

The summers I spent tree planting in college, proved more valuable than I ever expected.

Well I knew I couldn't be the only one. Impressed by how many so far have... but not really surprised. On my old property I planted well over a hundred Black walnut seeds from trees already on my land...2 years to germinate, maybe 15-18 took. Toughest specie to grow from my experience. I've also bought nursery trees such as mountain ash, several varieties, hybrids of Suger maples for their beauty around my house. I did plant some apple, crabapple and pear but the deer demolished them. Planted weeping willows around our pond, grew super fast.

Wish I had the land to do it all over again.

This is so true! God Bless you all for giving to the future generations

We own just over 10 acres. About 3 acres cleared for the property, the rest is timber with a beaver pond on the south end. Mostly tamarac, white pine, poplar and Jack pine. Every year we plant a few more in our cleared land, apple, flowering crab, pine, spruce, and a couple oak this year. And some hickory later. Some don’t make the Canadian winters at first but others do just fine if we can keep the deer off them. Doing our part the best we can even at a young age.

I live in the south and I've planted lots of mulberry trees on my 8 acres. They grow fast and make good bow wood, and they also produce fruit. The downside is the pollen is extremely bad for some folks.

I help plant 500 every year on my buddies farm to hopefully make more cover for all the habitat lost in the past 50 years there.

When i bought my 40 acres in 1993, I noticed I had very few oaks, and no turkeys. I have planted a couple thousand oaks, 4 varieties, and several hundred sycamores. I planted in rows in

The one about never sit in their shade is not that true. Everything i planted in the past 15 years are more than big enough to sit in the shade of, and they are oaks. They were planted as seedlings, in full sun, moist , good soil, and mulched and mowed around. Some have trunks 14” in diameter, and 30 feet tall. Been sitting in their shade within less than 10 years of planting them. Its worth it!

Planting and maintaining trees/woodlots is a labor of love and hard work, nice to see there still are those who believe in the value of not developing what they own (A rare bird now). Besides the enjoyment and environmental benefits of planting (and putting aside the maintenance costs for awhile...no need to go there and spoil all the fun, lol) the tax advantages of forested/undeveloped property can also be a perk (in some states land kept in tree growth has much lower taxes). Of course, not every piece of land lends itself well to planting trees particularly if remote or in challenging terrain. And not everyone can afford property that isn't already 'lived on'(a nice way of saying an asphalt jungle). For those who do have land but that for whatever reason can't plaint/maintain their favorite species on it (or on land where favorite species simple aren't hardy enough to survive over the long term) perhaps the best (and cheapest) management tool is to keep the existing forest in an uneven-aged status by creating patched openings that allow sun to penetrate and invites native species to plant themselves, which creates diversity, an attractive landscape/habitat for both wildlife and flora. But be careful what you plant, invasives can quickly take over an area and not in a good way.

Good thread.

I've planted many over the years. mainly pine, and spruce for deer, and rabbit cover. I now have treestands in several spruce trees I planted back in 1978.

I do, and it’s amazing to look back at trees planted years before. How much they have grown. It’s like a time capsule for me.

They call me the Johny Appleseed of the west! Lots of trees especially fruit. Lost count at a million trees.

I like trees, I plant lots of white oak all over, blacks are already everywhere, but at my place I put a few white oak but like the fruit trees. Been on a paw paw kick lately. None around me so I’ll prob graft some in the future and put them all over. I imagine someone running into one of these and wondering what they are. Seems guys love em, lots never even saw or tasted one. Americas biggest fruit and only tropical one.

33 years ago on my old 6 acres I planted 200 white pines, 200 sawtooth oaks, and 200 black locust, all free from the state. They are very tall and mature now but I don't live there. 5 years ago I planted 5 green giant arborvitae and added another one last year. They are doing their job as a privacy screen against the trashy neighbors next door.

pawpaws, Foggy? love them! made some shine with them last fall. i've seen groundhogs climb for them, but nothing else i've seen (besides me) eats them. not even the dang cows that stand under the persimmon trees waiting for them to fall...stupid cows! cheating the deer like that...

If you have already registered, please

sign in now

For new registrations

Click Here