May / June, 2002
LEARN ABOUT TREE PLANTING FOR REFORESTATION AT AG EXPO
Landowners interested in reforesting their land can explore their options for tree planting and weed control during a presentation at Ag Expo, July 16-18 at Michigan State University (MSU).
Michigan Department of Natural Resources forester David Neumann will discuss planting both hardwood and conifer seedlings in various spacings. He'll also talk about weed and pest control options, tree-planting cost-share programs and possible tax incentives. His presentations will take place at 11 a.m., 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. each day during Ag Expo.
"If you're going through the expense and effort of planting trees, you ought to go the right way from the beginning," Neumann says. "There's often a compromise between planting fewer seedlings with good, thorough weed control, and planting more."
Neumann notes that landowners can either plant trees at a lower density and work harder to control weeds and pests, or plant more trees per acre to compensate for those that will fall victim to drought, weed competition or deer browsing.
"We'll show folks how to plan a tree planting that will work so they won't be paying more money for replanting down the road," he says. "Normal mortality is 10 to 25 percent during the first 10 years after planting, and it can be greater with a high deer population, poor quality seedlings or a bad weed problem."
A demonstration being established at the Ag Expo site will feature six examples of spacing and weed control methods. These include spacing seedlings (both hardwoods and conifers) close together without using weed control, using Roundup by itself and with a preemergent herbicide in conifers, and using mulch and tree tubes to protect growing trees.
"We know that we need about 400 to 600 trees per acre at 10 to 15 years to get a fully stocked, healthy forest stand," Neumann says. "The problem is that most of the tree planting recommendations we have call for the bare minimum. You either need to replace all of the trees that die during the first few years after planting or plant enough initially to make up for those that die from normal causes."
Ag Expo features commercial farm equipment from throughout the Midwest and several Canadian provinces on the 35-acre main exhibition site and the 40-acre field demonstration area.
The event runs from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. July 16 and 17 (Tuesday and Wednesday) and from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. July 18. Admission to the grounds and parking at Farm Lane and Mt. Hope Road are free.
For more information about Ag Expo, call 1-800-366-7055 or visit www.agexpo.msu.edu.
Agricultural Engineering
Michigan State University
A.W. Farrall Hall
East Lansing, MI 48824-1323
(517) 355-4720
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