Conservation trees arrive for Hill County producers

Monday, the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation office in Havre and the Hill County Conservation District received a shipment of trees from the state to help agricultural producers with their conservation efforts.

"It's a big service the conservation district does," NRCS Soil Conservationist Laurie Massar said.

The conservation district received more than 7,000 trees ordered in Hill County by more than 20 producers, she said. The trees also come in a wide variety, more than 40 different species, with bare root, small container or large container seedlings for producers to choose from, such as Engelmann spruce, green ash and big sage.

Massar said that the trees would be for conservation planting and not residential planting. The trees have a specific purpose for producers and are not ornamental, she added. The trees are designed to act as windbreaks around farmsteads and fields, prevent wind erosion as well as reduce energy costs. She said that people also use the trees for livestock shelter.

Hill County Conservation District Board Chair Ted Brown said the trees are used to increase wildlife, provide areas of shade and prevent wind damage, because the trees can redirect wind or provide a wind break.

Brown said that the trees are also heavily discounted compared to the trees in residential nurseries, at least a 35 percent discount.

One of the reasons for the heavy discount is because many of the producers that purchase the tree seedlings purchase them in bulk, Massar said. For example, this year, one producer bought more than 2,000 seedlings for their property.

Brown added that the conservation district has been selling the trees once a year for more than 30 years, with NRCS providing technical support. They start taking orders in the fall through the winter and people applying to purchase trees have to draw up a plan for planting, so the NRCS knows what the customer will be using their trees for.

Massar said that some people are planting trees in new areas but others are replacing older or damaged trees. She added that the NRCS and the conservation district do not make any money off of the tree sales and checks are made out to the state treasurer's office and the money goes back to the state fund. The conservation district is the "middle man," she said, between producers and the state.

"This is something that people really appreciate," Massar said. "They see the value of planting trees for wildlife."

Brown added that there is also an aesthetics appeal to having trees.

"The farm always looks nicer with trees," he said.

He said that the conservation district has two tree-planter machines that people can rent out as well as fabric layers available for people to use to prevent weed growth near their trees.

"It's amazing stuff," he said. "It's a huge time saver if you're willing to take the time to do it."

Brown added that it takes at least five years for some of the trees to become effective and that about 50 percent of what is planted will be lost before then.

The tree seedlings are grown in nurseries around the state which the state then purchases and transports them to different state NRCS offices. The truck which delivered Hill County's seedling started in Missoula and will work its way to Glasgow.

"They are worth the effort," Massar said.