Seeds or Plants?

You can obtain wildlife trees, shrubs andvines for planting on your property in anumber of ways. You can gather and plantwild seeds from one part of your property oryour friend's property to your project site. Oryou can purchase and plant wild seed frommany nurseries. But you'll need to knowwhether or not the seeds require a period ofdormancy, or if they need scarification orstratification. Your local nursery staff canhelp you with this information and with thetechniques required, or you can find theinformation at your local library in books onpropagation or landscaping with nativeplants. Note: Gathering wild plant seeds

from public roadsides,parks, wildlife areas orany other public propertyis generally illegalwithout proper

permission.

Another way of getting the plants you needfor your wildlife project is to transplant wildtrees, shrubs and vines from one part of yourproperty or a friend's property to the areayou are interested in enhancing. Dig these inearly spring when the ground is workable,but before the plants break their dormancy.Transplanting can end in failure due to thedisruption of the plant's established rootsystem, so dig as large a root ball as you cancarry. As a general rule, transplant survivalwill be more successful when done withsmaller, younger plants. Note: Anytransplanting from public roadsides orother public lands is illegal.

A more conventional route is to purchaseyoung, bare root stock and plant these inearly spring. DNR nurseries sell bare rootnative trees and shrubs in quantities of 500seedlings per order. Other nurseries also sellbare root stock in large quantities. These arebest for large-scale plantings.

Finally, if you just want to enhance thelandscape around your house for wildlife, youcan purchase potted trees and shrubs. Theseare much more expensive than bare rootstock, but tend to be older and larger plants,so tradeoffs exist in cost, quantity and size ofthe plants. Note: Make sure you purchaseplants with the proper scientific name.Many cultivars and non-native plantsare available at nurseries and these maycause problems on your land or thesurrounding landscape. Read the labelsand purchase with caution. Also be sureyou are buying plants that werepropagated rather than wild dug. Wilddug plants are often taken fromwildlands where their removal degradesthe area. They also may have decreasedsurvival.

Wildlife and Your Land 21

Planting Tips

Spacing of Plantings

Plants should be placed in groups withenough space to prevent severe competitionamong individuals. Consider the matureheight and crown spread to prevent plantingtrees and shrubs too close to each other. As arule of thumb, for agricultural shelterbelts orwildland clump plantings, space your shrubsabout 4 to 6 feet from one another. For smalltrees such as crabapples and wild plums,space the trees about 6 to 8 feet apart fromeach other. For the taller trees, such as whitespruce, plant the individual trees about 6 to10 feet apart from each other. For land-scaping projects around your house, you maywant to provide a little more space so that thetree or shrub can reach its full form andshape. Nurseries suggest to plant smallflowering trees about 20 feet apart and largertrees about 30 to 50 feet apart. How-ever,trees used for screening as well as wildlifecover can be placed as close as 6 feet apart.

22 Wildlife and Your Land

wildland shrubs, 4 to 6 feet

smallwildland

trees6 to 8 feet

screens, 6 feet

flowering yard trees20 feet

large yard trees30–50 feet

tall wildland trees6 to 10 feet

Also, keep shrubs about 8 to 10 feetfrom the house and large treesabout 25 or 30 feet from thefoundation. Otherwise, you couldend up with severely crackedfoundations as your tree grows.

Protect Your Investment

You’ll want to protect your investments.Since many of these wildlife trees and shrubsprovide great browse for deer and rabbits,you can avoid future disappointment andfrustration if you take an extra step whenyou’re planting. Make small protective cages

using hardware cloth or chicken wire andwrap these around your newly-plantedspecimens, or use commercially-made treeguards. Make sure that you have done thisbefore winter, a time when the browsers aremost likely to damage your plants. A littleextra effort now will protect your investmentfor years to come.

Wildlife and Your Land 23

Know Your Soils and Sun

Know the soils and soil moisture levels on yourproperty. Match these with the types of soil andmoisture levels preferred by the trees and shrubsyou are considering purchasing or transplanting.For instance, don't order a shipment of bog-lovingtamarack for planting on your hilltop. Likewise,don't plant white oaks in a low, wet meadow. Mostcommercially-available trees and shrubs prefer well-drained, loamy soils. However, morenurseries are beginning to carry native plants adapted to shallow, dry, sandy soils or towetland soils.

Match the site's exposure to sunlight with the plant's needs. Generally, the more sunlight thesite has, the better the flowering and fruit development of many trees and shrubs; hence, thebetter feeding opportunities for wildlife. However, some native trees and shrubs are adaptedto grow best in shade. Know your plant's needs.

Wildlife Plantings inAgricultural Areas

If you own a working farm, considerintegrating wildlife plantings into youragricultural landscape. Try first to enhanceexisting cover, such as along fencerows, oldwindbreaks, edges of wetlands, or old groves.

Plant your wildlife trees, shrubs, and vinesnear existing wildlife travel lanes or wheregood undisturbed nesting cover exists. If nowildlife travel lanes exist, create thembetween habitats or along fencerows. Plantyour trees and shrubs to provide protection forwildlife from extreme exposure to mid-winterwinds, as well as to protect songbirds andsmall mammals from roving farm cats,raccoons and other predators. Plant close towetlands or food and watering areas togreatly enhance the diversity of wildlife. Plantsome trees and shrubs within 100 yards of anexisting field of grain, food plot or even cornstubble. This will provide easy access to foodwhile reducing the exposure to severe winterweather. If an undisturbed pasture, field orgrassland is located nearby, grassland birdswill find secure nesting in spring and summeras well as a plentiful supply of insects.

If you are enhancing existing woody coversuch as a fencerow or windbreak, be sure to

watch out for fast-growing “wolf” trees likeboxelder or elm. These trees will out-competeyour plantings for sun and nutrients in notime at all. Many Wisconsin deciduous treesand shrubs are prolific sprouters and in oneyear can grow 3–5 feet from cut stumps.Therefore, once you've cut unwanted treesand before you plant your new trees andshrubs, make certain that you treat allfreshly-cut stumps with a recommendedherbicide. Check with your local gardencenter or DNR Forester for recommenda-tions, since the effectiveness of herbicidesvaries with the soil conditions. Always followthe herbicide label directions.

The arrangement of shrubs and trees in anagricultural wildlife planting can greatlyaffect its attractiveness to wildlife. Large-block naturalized plantings are a preferreddesign to long, thin, strip-like plantings.In snow country, add 1–2 rows of shrubs fromthe north and west side of the wildlifeplanting, about 35 feet from the interior treesand shrubs, to act as a trap for catching snowbefore it reaches the main body of thewindbreak. This will increase the wintercover value of the windbreak and reduce treedamage from heavy snowloading. Plant theinner rows with a mix of small trees and tallconifers to provide shelter from weather.Plant these in staggered rows about 10–15feet apart. It's advisable to plant one or two

24 Wildlife and Your Land

15 15 15 1010Row width, feet

Total width, feet 5555

1 2 3 4 5(6, 7 optional)

Snow Trap Wildlife Option

Main BodyMost valuable cover

for wildlife

Prevailing Winds

Grasses Grasses

Wildlifeshrubs

Wildlifeshrubs

Spruce GreenAsh

SpruceSmallTrees

Seven-row Shelterbelt

more rows of shrubs on the downwind orprotected side to provide resting and sunningareas, ground level shelter, seasonal food, andmore diverse nesting habitat. Again, try tostagger these plants at odd intervals ratherthan planting them in a soldier-straight row.This will lend a more natural appearance toyour landscape. By simply increasing thewidth of your agricultural wildlife planting,you can increase the nest density and nestsuccess of wildlife living in the planting.

For more information on windbreaks forwildlife, read Windbreaks that Work! andWoody Cover for Wildlife. Both areavailable from your local DNR forester.

Wildland Plantings

For those of you who own land not inagricultural production, considerworking with your nativelandscape to enhance it for awide diversity of wildlife.

Often, this will mean getting outyour axe, chain saw, pruning shearsand herbicide sprayer before youeven think about taking out yourshovel. So many of our "wildland"

acres have been altered by the invasion ofalien trees, shrubs and herbaceous plantsthat it is rare to find a site that is unaffectedby these plants. One reason for the success ofthese aliens in capturing our native land-scape is that they are very aggressivegrowers. They are adapted to living indisrupted soil. Since pioneer times, farminghas caused the widespread breakup of thesoil. Current human urban developments dothe same. Also, some aliens tend to seedprolifically and their seeds are able to germi-nate under a wide variety of conditions. Theyare often rapid growers and soon out-compete the less aggressive, more beneficialnative plants for the soil nutrients andsunlight they need to grow.

It is imperative, therefore, to tame, if noteradicate these aliens from your landscape.Get them out, if possible. They don't belong!Refer to Invasive Species ControlRecommendations, available from theBureau of Endangered Resources, WDNR,Madison, WI 53707-7921.

Once you have the aliens under control, thenthink about the types of native trees, shrubsand vines that normally would grow there.Consult with local DNR wildlife managers,foresters or park naturalists for assistancewith this. Then, using this publication as aguide, select some of native plants thatprovide food and winter or nesting cover.Plant these in locations best suited to theirneeds. And definitely plant them as thoughthey grew there naturally. Avoid straightrows. You can clump some shrubs for

maximum cover benefits, but don't make itunnatural in appearance. Also, keep

in mind the mature height andcrown-width of any tree seed-lings you are planting. Try notto crowd them too closely orthey will not grow well as theyget older.

Wildlife and Your Land 25

sh

rubs

conifers

trees

N

Clump planting for wildlife

Wildlife Plantings in YourBackyard

When planting wildlife trees, shrubs andvines in your yard, you can lay out your planin one of two ways: you can choose a veryformal garden design, in which you placeyour plants in regimented rows that followyour property lines; or you can decide to layout your plan in a very naturalistic design,with no straight rows but plenty of curvinglines, clumps and uneven distribution of yourplants. Although the aesthetics of the twodesigns vary with your personal taste, thewildlife benefits are similar for both designs.

Much interest and excitement in nativelandscaping is spreading throughout Wis-consin. Groups such as Wild Ones—NaturalLandscapers, Ltd., P.O. Box 23576,Milwaukee WI 53223-0576, can offer youadvice, assistance and inspiration inplanning your native, naturalistic backyardlandscape. Keep in mind, however, that someWisconsin communities have "weedordinances" that insist homeownersmaintain their lawns at a given height. Thisis a greater concern when landscaping withprairie grasses and flowers than it is whenplanting trees and shrubs.

Since you are planting for wildlife, you canalso plant with a mind for energy conser-vation as well. For instance, you may want toplant clumps of evergreens in the northwestcorner of your property to shelter your housefrom winter winds. Plant deciduous trees tothe south of your house so that in summerthese trees will provide shade, while inwinter the sun's rays can shine through thebarren branches.

For maximum enjoyment of your labors, planttall trees around the periphery of your yard.Place shrubs in front of the trees and plantflowers and ground cover in front of theshrubs. In this way you can view all the plant-ings while standing in the inner sanctum ofyour yard.

Get Some Help

Protecting newly planted seedlings fromcompetition with aggressive, undesirableplants is the single most important thing youcan do to protect your investment and toprotect your plantings for wildlife. Weeds,grasses, and woody cover can soon overtakeyour plantings if you do not prepare the siteproperly. However, each planting situation isdifferent. A large, native woodland restora-tion will be different from planting a shelter-belt, which in turn will be different fromplanting a backyard landscape. In somesituations you can control for competition bysimply mowing. In other situations, you mayneed to use an herbicide specific for yourplantings and your soil conditions. Projectrequirements will vary across the state. Youwill need site-specific information about howto prepare your site for your planting project,what techniques (mowing, herbicides,controlled burns) to use to control compet-itive plants and how best to protect yourplantings. Contact your local DNR forester orwildlife manager for specific advice; refer toGetting the Help You Need in thispublication series.

Planting

Tree-planting time in Wisconsin begins inApril. Wait until after the frost has left theground, usually in late March, but plantbefore the buds break out and shoots growlong, usually in late May.

If you’re only planting a few trees or shrubs,plant them by hand using a spade, #2 roundshovel, or planting bar (dibble). For largeplots, contact your local DNR forester orCounty Land Conservation Department(LCD) for recommendations about treeplanting services. In Wisconsin, tree plantingmachines are available for a small rental feefrom most county LCDs and are coordinatedby your local DNR forester.

26 Wildlife and Your Land

Planting Bare Root Stock

For bare root seedling trees and shrubs, cullout the weak seedlings that are scraggly,wilted, discolored and have thin stems.Inspect the roots before planting. Usingsharp hand pruners, clip any broken orcrushed roots; this will help them regeneratemore quickly.

Be aware that bare root seedlings are verysensitive to handling, warm temperatures,and can quickly dry out. Arrange to plantyour seedlings as soon as you get them toinsure minimal damage and maximumgrowth potential. If you can’t plant yourtrees and shrubs immediately, keep themtemporarily in a cool, shaded storage placesuch as a cellar at about 35° F.

If you must wait more than a week to plantyour trees or shrubs, then you shouldtemporarily "heel in" the trees. To do this,dig a "checkmark" trench, as illustratedbelow. Dig it deep enough to hold all roots.Then lay the tree or shrub into the trenchwith the trunk or plant tops leaning at abouta 45° angle. Gently spread the roots out intothe trench and cover them completely withlight soil. Water the soil thoroughly to makesure there are no air pockets.

Otherwise, once you have your bare rootstock and are ready to plant, keep the fragile,hair-like seedling roots covered with the bagto protect them, unless the temperaturesreach 60° F or more. If this occurs, take offthe bag, cool the roots with cold water andreplace the bag again. As you plant, keep allroots moist by covering them with a dampburlap sack in a bucket to prevent the rootsfrom being exposed to the drying air. Do notimmerse roots in water, unless the nurserydirections tell you differently.

For planting bare root stock by hand on alarge scale, place one or two dozen plants ina large bucket with a damp burlap sackcovering the roots. Keep excess stock in acool, damp place until you have planted thefirst batch. Then take a shovel or a plantingdibble and walk through your project area.Everywhere you want to place a tree, dig theshovel blade or dibble into the soil andbriskly move the handle back and forth,creating a slot wide and deep enough so thatyou can spread the roots out well; forseedlings, this is about the width and depthof a shovel blade.

Set the plant at the same level or up to oneinch deeper than the soil line at the nursery.Don't simply stick the seedling in the holeand cover it up. Rather, gently spread theroots out. Be sure to keep them from curlingor bending. Pack the soil so there is no airspace around the roots. Tamp down the soilwith your foot to form a slight depressionaround the base of the tree to catch water.

If possible, water your plants well at the timeof planting. If you can't because the site is soremote, don't worry. Spring rains usuallyprovide all the moisture necessary formaking wildland plantings a success.

Wildlife and Your Land 27

Checkmark trench

28 Wildlife and Your Land

1 2 3 4 5

If you are planting bare root stock on asmaller scale, take greater care planting.

1. Remove all packaging material beforeplanting. Inspect and prune all broken orcrushed roots. Place a large piece of plasticon the lawn next to where you plan to digthe hole. Deposit the soil from the holeonto the plastic. As you dig, place the sodto one side, separate from the soil. Dig ahole about twice as wide and deep as theplant roots. Mix the soil with peat moss,composted manure or potting soil.

2. Place some of this mixture at the bottom ofthe hole, forming a mound of earth. Do notadd any commercial fertilizer to this soil.Now, spread the roots down over themound.

3. Trees should be set so that the moundpushes the trees up to the same depth atwhich they were planted in the nurseries.Shrubs should be set at either the samedepth or slightly deeper than they grew inthe nursery. Cover the roots and fill thehole about half-way up.

4. Tramp the soil down firmly with your footand fill the hole with water to eliminateany air pockets.

5. After the water has soaked in, add theremaining soil to within 3 inches of the top.Tramp down this soil firmly to form asaucer-like depression and fill with water tosettle the soil.

Mulch with compost, bark or straw. Ifproperly mulched, you should only need towater your plants once a week for the firstfew weeks after planting and then everycouple of weeks—or more frequently in hot,dry weather.

To promote rapid, healthy, vigorous growth,trim the crown. Leave the central trunk orleaders intact to ensure a high crown, buttrim the side branches back by about onethird. Prune damaged branches below thepoint of injury. This may seem a harshmeasure to take, but you will be rewardedwith rapid re-growth.

Planting Container-GrownStock

For small scale backyard plantings, you mayfind excellent nursery specimens that arecontainer-grown. This method allows for thedevelopment of a fairly large root systemthat has never been pruned or cut back.When planting potted trees and shrubs, it isvery important to take time creating a top-quality hole. Here's how:

Place a large piece of plastic on the lawn nextto where you plan to dig the hole. Deposit thesoil from the hole onto the plastic. As you dig,place the sod to one side, separate from thesoil.

Dig a hole twice the diameter of thecontainer and deep enough to place the plantat the original growing depth. Make thesides straight, not sloped. Use either a yardstick or the container itself to check forproper depth and width as you dig. Makesure you work up the bottom of the hole witha shovel or garden fork.

Carefully remove the plant from thecontainer. Inspect the root ball. If the rootsare extensive and wind around in the pot,you may want to gently prune them back.Place the root ball in the hole. The top of thesoil clinging to the plant (or the original soilmark) should be level with the soil in youryard.

Mix the soil on the plastic with peat moss,composted manure or potting soil. Backfillthe hole with this mix.

Water the hole slowly and thoroughly to helpsettle the soil, eliminate air pockets andprovide water to the plant.

Form a berm around the hole, using the soilmix. This will help contain the water eachtime you water your plant.

For container-grown plants, you only need toprune to achieve the desired shape since theroot system has never been pruned or cutback.

Wildlife and Your Land 29

Place soil on tarpmatch originalgrowing depth

soak with water toremove all air pocikets

build a berm

straight-sided hole

work up bottom soil

keep wrap around rootball

Planting Balled andBurlapped Stock

Many larger trees and some shrubs are soldby nurseries balled in burlap. When youtransport these from the store to your vehicleand then to your planting site, always carrythe plants by the root ball—never by thetrunk.

As with the container-grown plants, dig ahole twice the diameter of the root ball anddeep enough to place the plant at the originalgrowing depth. Create straight, unslopedsides.

Place the plant in the hole with the burlapstill wrapped around the root ball. Be sure toremove any wire or nylon cord from aroundthe trunk or the ball.

Mix the soil with peat moss, compostedmanure or potting soil. Backfill the hole withthis planting mix while plunging the hose tothe bottom of the hole to soak and settle thesoil, working out any air pockets. Form aberm around the hole with the soil mix to aidin watering.

Stake and tie large trees to prevent windfrom causing the tree to lean. Protect the treebark from chafing by inserting the guy wiresthrough pieces of old hose. Set this protectivehose where the trunk touches the wire andanchor the wires to wood or metal stakes.

As with bare root plants, prune off one thirdof the side branches to help balance topgrowth and the root system.

Weed Control

During the first few years, tree survivaldepends on controlling weeds, especiallyalien grasses, which compete with thegrowing tree for moisture and soil nutrients.Cultivate, hand mulch, manually pull ormow weeds around your seedlings ortransplants. Within a few years, the newlyplanted area is often subject to invaders suchas willow, elm, boxelder, honeysuckle, andbuckthorn. Remove these undesirable treesand shrubs at the seedling stage with asharp grub hoe. If you use an herbicide,follow label directions, make sure it isenvironmentally-safe, and use it sparingly.Contact your local DNR forester or wildlifemanagers for specific recommendations.

Armed with this knowledge of how and whatto plant, you are well on your way towardmaking your property attractive to wildlife.Happy digging!

30 Wildlife and Your Land

Stake carefully to protect bark

Wildlife and Your Land 31

Notes

32 Wildlife and Your Land

Wildlife and Your Land Staff: Mary Kay Salwey, Project Director; Janet L. Hutchens, ProjectAssistant; Todd L. Peterson, Bureau of Wildlife Management; Kelly Kearns, Bureau ofEndangered Resources and Trent Marty, Bureau of Forestry. Graphics and layout: KandisElliot. Published by the Bureau of Wildlife Management, Wisconsin Department of NaturalResources, P.O. Box 7921, Madison, WI, 53707.

Federal Aid Projectfunded by your purchase of

hunting equipment

PUBL-WM-223-98

Notes