Green Horizons

Charlie and Ellen Lebold’s Tree Farm, northwest Missouri, is a good demonstration of the importance of selecting the right location for seedlings. On the right is a superior walnut selection from outside Missouri; on the left are two trees grown from seed Ellen collected locally and planted.

Most forest landowners, particularly our newer brethren, think about planting trees in the spring. But, just like planning your summer garden in the dead of winter, fall is the time to place your seedling order to ensure you will have the species you want to plant this coming spring.

Which trees grow well in my area?
More than 160 tree species call Missouri home. Regardless of where a tree is planted, provenance (the original geographic source of seed) is of paramount importance in selecting plant material for a given planting site. Trees survive and grow best when planted under conditions similar to those where they occur naturally.

A good example can be found on Charlie and Ellen Lebold's Tree Farm in northwest Missouri near the town of Lawson. Charlie has three words for me every time I see him, "Location, Location, Location!" (see Charlie, I DO listen). The walnut tree on the right is a superior selection from Indiana. The seedling was planted in 1992. But, the two walnuts immediately to the left of the Indiana selection were grown from seed Ellen collected on the farm and planted in 1992! As they say, a picture is worth 1,000 words.

Soils and climate create four broad tree-growing areas in the state that should be considered when selecting species. However, within each major area many varying sites must be considered individually for species selection.

Missouri tree-growing areas

Missouri tree growing areas.

The Ozark area has the greatest diversity of tree and shrub species in Missouri and can be used to grow trees for wildlife and commercial forest products. But, the soils are often thin and rocky with varying fertility levels. Desirable species typically found on the better sites include scarlet, northern red, Shumard, black, and white oak. Shagbark hickory, white ash, blackgum, river birch, eastern redcedar and shortleaf pine are other common species. In the eastern Ozarks, cherrybark oak, sweetgum and tulip poplar are common. Shrub species include flowering dogwood, aromatic sumac, hazelnut, redbud, ninebark, wild plum and deciduous holly. Site preparation in old fields often can be done by mowing or burning before planting.

The River-Border area is found along the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers and their tributaries. Many good sites exist for the production of high-quality hardwood species. Tree and shrub plantings can slow flood waters and protect valuable farmland from damaging floods, erosion and sand deposits. Soils are deep, fertile, river deposits. Typically on the lower ground, common species include cottonwood, silver maple, hackberry, sycamore and green ash. On higher ground: pecan, pin oak, black walnut, swamp white oak, northern red oak, and persimmon are among the dominant species.

It is essential to prepare the sites properly before planting, especially in the bottomlands. Follow planting with regular weed control using mowing, disking, or chemicals, until trees are at least 4 to 6 feet tall. Survival and growth will be severely limited by competition from heavy weed growth.

Bareroot seedlings are grown in nursery beds. RPM® seedlings are grown in containers.

The Southeast Lowlands area includes the flat lowlands with deep river deposited soil and Crowleys Ridge, a very hilly area of deep rich soils. Nearly all of this area was once forested. Lowlands species include baldcypress, hackberry, cottonwood, silver maple, sycamore, pin oak, willow oak, overcup oak, sweetgum, and green ash. On the higher ground: tulip poplar, white ash, American beech, and a variety of hickory species are common. Site preparation and weed control are similar to the River-Border area.

Lastly, the soils and climate conditions of Northern and Western Prairie areas are not as favorable to tree growth as the rest of Missouri. Site and species selection are very important, and after-planting care needs special emphasis. Common species in the uplands include bur, white, swamp white, shumard, black and northern red oaks, also Kentucky coffeetree, basswood, white and green ash, and black walnut. Sycamore, pecan, pin oak, green ash, silver maple, shellbark hickory, hackberry and cottonwood are common lowlands species. There are many opportunities for flood protection plantings along streams and rivers in the areas. Wildlife food and cover plantings are moderately successful and much needed.

Where can I purchase trees? I am aware of three nurseries in Missouri that grow forest tree seedlings: The Missouri Department of Conservation’s George O. White Nursery in Licking (573-674-3229, www.mdc.mo.gov/forest/nursery/) Ripley County Farms in Doniphan (573-996-3449, www.ripleycountyfarms.com) Forrest Keeling Nursery in Elsberry (800-356-2401, www.fknursery.com) The White Nursery and Ripley County Farms produce bareroot seedlings while Forrest Keeling produces RPM® (containerized) seedlings. As is the usual case, there are advantages and disadvantages to both types of seedlings. RPM® seedlings are larger than bareroot seedlings; but, they are more expensive. Therefore, they are usually reserved for prime areas like bottomland plantations that will receive a considerable amount of after-planting care. But, properly planted, quality bareroot seedlings that receive good weed control during the first 2-3 years in the field produce excellent forest stands. To search for other growers within the state, check out the Missouri Department of Agriculture’s online directory at www.mda.mo.gov/Pest/ngrowers.html. Landowners living close to the state line also have the option of purchasing their seedlings from neighboring states. Here is the contact information for state-run forest tree nurseries: Arkansas Arkansas Forestry Commission (501) 296-1940 http://www.forestry.state.ar.us/seedlingsales.html Illinois Mason State Nursery, Topeka (309) 535-2185 Union State Nursery, Jonesboro (614) 438-6781 Iowa Iowa DNR-Forestry (800) 865-2477 http://www.iowadnr.com/forestry/nursery.html Kansas Kansas does not operate its own bareroot nursery, but purchases seedlings from various federal, state and private nurseries for re-sale to landowners. Container-grown seedlings offered through the Kansas Conservation Tree Planting Program are grown in greenhouses near Manhattan, KS.