Trees: 14 years later

Fourteen years ago this spring, we planted nearly 7000 baby trees in the natural areas of the farm, and they are really starting to grow up!   We found some original pictures (snapshots, since it was before the digital camera era) of the planting process, and the 14 year comparison is interesting.

Spring, 2000, operating the planter in the field behind the pond

Spring, 2000, operating the planter in the field behind the pond

Spring 2000, carrying a single bundle of tiny trees

Spring 2000, carrying a single bundle of tiny trees

Spring 2000 - Loading the trees into buckets to put on the planter

Spring 2000 – Loading the trees into buckets to put on the planter


We found the original receipt, and here’s the list of all the trees we planted that spring:

Tree Type Quantity
Red Oak 1,900
White Oak 1,100
White Ash 400
Green Ash 300
Black Walnut 900
Tulip Tree 800
Chinkapin Oak 700
White Pine 200
Bur Oak 600
Total 6,900

 

Now, 14 years later, they’ve grown quite a bit!

Spring 2014 - A good shot of some of the planted trees near the path in the 'new land' on the east side of the property

Spring 2014 – A good shot of some of the planted trees near the path in the ‘new land’ on the east side of the property

Late 2013 - The very same trees!

Winter/Spring 2014 – Field behind the pond

We originally estimated 30%-40% survival rate, since we didn’t want to use herbicides (recommended for higher survival rate), and this estimate still seems to be about accurate. Some of the trees fared much better than others, as there is quite a bit of diversity in water content in the soil, species of tree, and proximity to deer.

Spring 2014 - Comparison between trees that did well and those that didn't, but still survived

Spring 2014 – Comparison between trees that did well and those that didn’t, but still survived

Spring 2014 - Some of the trees planted in a drier area - Motorbike for scale

Spring 2014 – Some of the trees planted in a drier area – Royal Enfield for scale