MidWest Quarterly Article

Winter 2009/2010

Tree Belt Considerations

Plan Now to Succeed Later

by Greg Stoebner, PF Farm Bill biologist

          Lately, I have been getting quite a few requests for shelterbelt creations for wildlife habitat. There is nothing wrong with shelterbelts for most applications -- but when considering a tree belt for pheasants, here are some of the things I like to consider before “breaking ground.”

          In the Dakota’s when you build a shelterbelt for wildlife, build them big. When thinking winter cover for wildlife, plan on eight rows or more (preferably) of evergreens and shrubs in an “L” or rectangular layout, at least several hundred feet long.  Most of the species used should be shrubs and cedar or juniper, depending on location and soil conditions. 

The cost

          Most people know planting and maintaining a good shelterbelt will require lots of time, energy and money. In the area of the state I work, the going rate for evergreens and planting is around $4.00 for every 16.5’ (rod row). Fabric weed barrier runs around $.60 per foot. So you can see it does not take long to eat up some money. The good news is, with a little luck and some proper care, most belts last for a couple decades. 

          This is also one of the problems. Best to put on your thinking cap and make sure this is what you want and where you want it! One of the first things people consider for a shelterbelt is the cost, which is important. The initial cost for stock and planting, with ground preparation; replacing the stock that dies from animal, chemical and winter damage; weed control and time and labor can be a little intimidating up front. It is best to plan ahead for what you can afford to spend and how or who will clean upand replace damaged stock. For instance, if you use fabric, you will have to replace all stock by hand.  Typically, that is not needed, but in drought areas like South Dakota, figure 10 percent will die the first couple years.

How to manage the property around your trees

          With spraying being the most popular method of maintenance for all kinds of land use, having stock will definitely be a consideration. Legume stock such as caragana and false indigo are very sensitive to any type of chemical drift. The type of surrounding land and the objectives will dictate the type of chemical sprayed. Leaving buffers by a shelterbelt is good, but will potentially promote undesirable plants, such as weeds.

          One thing many people don’t think about with shelterbelts is how this will affect the ecology of your land.  Basically, there is something that will eat everything. That being said, I do not know of any deer-, rabbit- or vole-proof stock!  You will be amazed at the number of times the deer need to rub your stock!

          Over time, you will probably experience more deer on or associated with your property, especially in winter, after the stock have matured a little. 

          Most people decide to plant stock so pheasants have a place to live in winter. What they don’t realize is the competition between birds in the spring and summer. Yes, you will see more birds in the trees when they are under 10 years of age, especially in the spring and fall. Pheasants love the edge cover in the fall, and will use the belt as a crowing territory in the spring, which is no big deal. The real concern is nesting.

          Although I have found pheasant nests within belt rows, very few pull off successful hatches. Most of the time, the belt will act as a predator travel corridor, and there will be more mammalian and potentially more avian predation associated with the tree belt. In a nutshell, figure 50 yards or so of all nesting is lost adjacent to belts, rock piles, field edges -- basically anything that could be used as a predator travel corridor.

          That is one of the reasons PF encourages large blocks of grass/legume habitat. When taking into consideration upland nesting birds, the belt could displace or reduce nesting occurrence and success potentially up one-quarter mile around the belt! So if you place your stock in the middle of your 40-acre CRP patch, you are drastically reducing the potential number of birds that your property could produce. 

          This is one of the reasons I try to locate belts adjacent to old belts to better enhance them or place the belts along the edge of the field.  By placing the belt in the corner, or away from most of your nesting cover, you are much more likely to minimize the nesting disturbances that are associated with this cover change.

          Although pheasants’ home ranges are considered to be within one mile or so, it has been documented that they will travel up to a couple miles. If your neighbor or the far end of your property has a good belt, it might be better to put your time and effort into enhancing or providing more grass cover. This way the birds will move to where they need to be, but they will only use the belts if they need them!

          As with most habitat planning, please contact your local PF biologist (listed in the front of every magazine). They can help you figure out what is the best way to fulfill your habitat needs on your slice of paradise!

Stoebner is based in Selby, South Dakota.