Tree Plant Guide

If you are looking to establish trees for a windbreak or other conservation practice, Stevens SWCD is here to serve you. Our experienced staff provides excellent customer service and we have the practical knowledge of area soils and weed control methods to make your project a success.

We use quality trees and products to complete your project and you will see excellent growth and survival rates. In addition, there is often federal and/or state cost sharing available to make your project more affordable.

To make your project a success, the Stevens SWCD provides:

Free tree project design
Custom tree planting
Tree fabric (plastic weed barrier conserves moisture and prevents weed growth for at least 5 years)
Tree pruning
Custom tillage for conservation practices
Native grass and flowers (sales and seeding) for conservation practices
Custom mowing
Soil Erosion Practice design

Fall and winter is the best time to order trees. Please order by March 15th to ensure availability.

A Note About Tree Fabric. . .

We highly recommend using fabric mulch for the establishment of your tree planting. Over 85% of our clients are now using this method. The benefits of tree fabric are:

High survival rates
Up to two to three times the growth rate of cultivated sites
Large reduction in labor during tree establishment
Cost savings over time

Cost Share Available

Depending on the conservation program you enroll in, there is often times between 50-75% cost share available to help you get your planting accomplished. Click here for more information on the various conservation programs available. You are also welcome to stop by, email or call John Lembcke, our Assistant Technician, about a no-obligation quote.

Trees Best Suited to West Central Minnesota

Thinking of planting some trees, shrubs, and/or native grasses and forbs for conservation purposes? Want to know what varieties do best in your area and soil type? Interested in seeing what the different plants look like?

Have we got the answer for you! The Conservation Arboretum, a joint project of the Stevens Soil & Water Conservation District and the Stevens County Comprehensive Local Water Plan, is located next to our office in Morris. There are examples of many of the specie of trees and grasses that do best in our area. We are currently obtaining a grant with which we will be purchasing signs for each plant in the arboretum. Each species will labeled with the name, photo and some information on size, preferred soil type, etc.

We invite you to stop out and take a look! Revisit several times during the year to see variations in color and maturity.

We sell the following varieties of trees and shrubs for conservation purposes. These are the varieties we have found are best suited in our area.

Shrubs

American Cranberry
Grows 6-15 feet tall
Fruit eaten by birds. Grows on well drained, moist soils.

Buffaloberry
Grows 10 feet tall & 8 feet wide
Fruit eaten by chipmunk and brown thrasher. Grows well on dry, well drained or moist sites; will tolerate alkaline soils.

Chokeberry
Grows 3-5 feet tall
Clusters of small white flowers yield purplish-black fruit. Eaten by birds, but not as desirable as some other species. Dense foliage species.

Common Lilac
Grows up to 20 feet tall
Provides cover for many birds and animals. Excellent in windbreaks. Dark blue-green leaves. Very fragrant blossoms. Needs full sunlight. Best on moist to dry soils. Does not tolerate wet soils.

Cotoneaster
Grows up to 8-10 feet
Provides cover to several specie of birds and animals. Tolerates poor soils; prefers cool, moist sites.

Nanking Cherry
Grows about 8 feet tall
Red berries used by many birds. Dark green edges on leaves, hairy underneath. Pinkish flowers. Needs full sun. Grows well in many soil types and pH levels.

Redosier Dogwood
Grows 7-10 feet tall
Prefers sandy to clay soils, does well in moderately wet areas. Used for food by some birds. One of the best shrubs for snow catch. White berries, medium to dark green leaves.

Silky Dogwood
Grows 6-10 feet tall, fast growth rate
Good on wet or difficult sites, preferring moist, fertile soil and full to partial shade. Blue fruit is a favorite of birds.

Villosa Lilac
Grows 6-10 feet tall and 4-10 feet wide
Prefers well-drained, slightly acidic soil. Fragrant, showy purplish-white flowers. Less suckering than Common Lilac.

Small Trees

American Plum
Grows about 18 feet tall
Fruit eaten by several bird specie. White flowers. Found in roadsides and other waste or uncultivated areas.

Chokecherry
Grows up to 30 feet tall
Used as food by many birds and animals like raccoons. Grows best on well-drained sites. Small, white flowers.

Juneberry
Grows 15-25 feet tall
Yellow-orange to red fall color. White flowers yielding red fruit that is a favorite of birds. Prefers moist, well-drained, acidic soil. Thrives in wet sites.

Midwest Crab
Grows up to 20 feet
Branches stay close to the ground. Extremely hardy and disease resistant. White flowers yield red fruit. Good for windbreaks. Provide food for wildlife.

Nannyberry
Grows up to 20 feet
Provides food for pheasants and small animals. Saw-tooth edges on leaves. Grows well in dry or moist, well-drained soils.

Laurel Willow
Grows 30-35 feet tall
Excellent for quick screens and moist locations.

Large Trees

American Linden
Grows 60 to 100 feet tall
Seeds and bark eaten by rabbits. Prefers moist soils.

Black Ash
Grows from 40-50 feet tall
Prefers swampy, very wet areas.
Because of the threat of the Emerald Ash Borer, we do not recommend planting any ash varieties at this time.

Bur Oak
Grows from 50-80 feet tall
Acorns eaten by many birds and fowl. Adaptable: prefers dry uplands, but also moist floodplains. Likes full sun. This is the only oak variety that grows well in Stevens County.

Cottonwood
Grows over 100 feet tall
Buds eaten by grouse and prairie chicken.

Golden Willow
Grows up to 60 ft tall
Relatively good winter density. Rapid growth rate, no suckering. Tolerates a wide range of soils.

Green Ash
Grows 50-75 feet tall
Prefers deep moist to drought resistant soils. Seeds eaten by wood ducks, quail and purple finches. Because of the threat of the Emerald Ash Borer, we do not recommend planting any ash varieties at this time.

Hackberry
Grows up to 75-100 feet
Used in windbreaks, provides food for some birds. Sharp-toothed, blue-green leaves. Grows on moist or dry soils. Tolerates high pH.

Hybrid Poplar
Grows up to 40-60 feet
Very fast, upright growth, especially for use in windbreaks. Disease resistant.

Hybrid Willow
Grows 40-50 feet tall
Extremely fast growth up to 6 ft per year. Excellent for windbreaks. Prefers a moist site.

Silver Maple
Grows 60-80 feet tall
Seeds used by songbirds and small mammals. Prefers moist or moderately drained soils. This is the only maple that grows well in Stevens County.

Evergreen (Conifer) Trees

Black Hills Spruce
Grows from 50-100 feet tall
Common cultivar of the White Spruce. Stiff, blue-green needles. Provides winter cover and food for various wildlife. Prefers medium to heavy soils and likes full sunlight. Grows well in drier soils.

Colorado Blue Spruce
Grows 75-100 feet tall
Provides winter cover for wildlife. Used in shelterbelts and for Christmas trees. Prefers upland dry soils. Susceptible to several insect pests and diseases.

Ponderosa Pine
Grows 75-100 feet tall
Seeds eaten by many birds and mammals. Can grow on dry soils.

Techny Arborvitae
Can grow to reach 40-50 feet
(Northern White Cedar) Dull yellow-green evergreen leaves. Excellent for wildlife habitat. Foliage and twigs eaten by deer, fruit eaten by various birds. Found on a variety of soils but prefers neutral to alkaline soils, limestone origin.

White Spruce
Grows 50-60 feet tall; 1-3 feet per year
Foliage, twigs eaten by deer, needles eaten by grouse. Provides winter cover for many species. Prefers moist, sandy loan soils.

Putting Conservation On the Land