Pine Screen Around Property

[HMHunters75]

I have a question concerning the establishment of a multi-row pine screen around my property. The property consists of fifty acres of waist to chest high smooth sumac, various species of red and white oak, sweetgum and walnut to name just a few. The land is primarily hilly and although there are several mature oaks scattered about the landscape is wide open. As the cover has matured over the past few years I have noticed that the treestands on the neighboring properties are somehow moving themselves closer to the property lines. I would love to plant or have planted a multi row screen of loblolly and virginia pine. Just what would this project entail with respect to herbicides, ground preparation, etc. Are there contractors that plant seedlings in this situation? I am afraid the total acreage planted may be too insignificant to warrant their time/trouble. Thank You

 

[ROUGH COUNTRY HUNTER]

good theory,i have been wondering the same thing

 

[AllOutdoors]

Thuja Green Giant trees work good for a fast, dense screen.

 

[Football Hunter]

Only bad thing about pines is,once they mature,you lose the cover screen,Id go with cedars,or something like leyland cypress,thick cover all the way to the ground.

 

[BSK]

When I design pine screens, I use about 4 rows of loblolly at the outer edge for fast growth, but then two or more inner rows of white pine for a visual barrier once the loblolly have grown tall. White pine are slower growers and tend to keep their lower limbs, unlike loblolly that grow fast and lose their lower limbs.

 

[Jarred525]

When I design pine screens, I use about 4 rows of loblolly at the outer edge for fast growth, but then two or more inner rows of white pine for a visual barrier once the loblolly have grown tall. White pine are slower growers and tend to keep their lower limbs, unlike loblolly that grow fast and lose their lower limbs.

I have used a similar approach and it does work well. I bushhog and weedeat around the trees every January and replace any that have died.

 

[BSK]

hahahaha

you go to planting something like that and all you'll do is make a fantastic funnel that will steer deer right up next to where you're trying the block them from view

Not when you have much better pine stands and bedding cover towards the interior.

Where I have used these pine screens to block views into fields adjacent to public roads, poaching losses have been reduced dramatically.

 

[Football Hunter]

hahahaha

you go to planting something like that and all you'll do is make a fantastic funnel that will steer deer right up next to where you're trying the block them from view

could be,but you gotta try something to stop road hunters

 

[HMHunters75]

Thanks for the replies! BSK, you mention White Pine and I would rather use it than Virginia Pine but assumed the conditions are too inhospitable ( rocky, drought prone ridgetops and steep hillsides with very little organic matter). However, I would love to hear that it would work in this situation. I have observed Virginia and Loblolly Pines doing well nearby in similar conditions. Also, how far should I keep my outermost row of Loblollies from the mature trees (Oak,Hickory) that exist in the fencerows/property lines? Jarred525, did you do anything to prepare the soil or reduce competition prior to planting?

 

[BSK]

Thanks for the replies! BSK, you mention White Pine and I would rather use it than Virginia Pine but assumed the conditions are too inhospitable ( rocky, drought prone ridgetops and steep hillsides with very little organic matter). However, I would love to hear that it would work in this situation. I have observed Virginia and Loblolly Pines doing well nearby in similar conditions. Also, how far should I keep my outermost row of Loblollies from the mature trees (Oak,Hickory) that exist in the fencerows/property lines? Jarred525, did you do anything to prepare the soil or reduce competition prior to planting?

I would give White Pine a try even in the rockier, thinner soil areas. I've seen it grow well on rocky ridge-tops. For saplings that die or don't perform well, they can always be replaced with Virginia Pine at a latter date. It will take 10-15 years for the loblolly to grow so tall that they no longer probide a good visual barrier.

As for adjoining mature oaks, just keep the pine seedlings outside the drip-line of the oaks (out from under the leaf canopy of the oak trees).

 

[BSK]

however, I've left 20ft wide strips of sumac,briers and small cedars through fields and the deer used that like an artificial 'fencerow' for cover to and from the forested areas on either side of this large field .

That works as well, as long as the cedars produce a solid wall. The other plants lose their leaves in winter and don't produce a good visual barrier (although they can produce a fairly good "shooting" barrier with all the densely packed stems). Another consideration in maintaining the barrier. Eventually all tht growth will turn to hardwood saplings and eventually hardwood trees. You have to think into the future about how you are going to maintain that barrier in the "thick" stage and not let it progress into the mature stages of growth (grow out of the barrier phase).

 

[Jarred525]

On mine, the area I was working with was pasture with no trees. I just bushhogged the area and planted. I do lime and fertilize annually as I want these trees to grow as quickly as possible. Every January I go through and bushhog around the trees and also weedeat. I am going to continue to do this until the trees get very well established. I'll try and take some pics and post them next week.

BSK is exactly right. The hardwoods will take over, especially with virginia or white pine since they are slower growers.

Arsenal may be another option to spray to eliminate the hardwoods. I have not used it to spray around pine before but plan on trying it in the future with a couple of pine areas I am establishing this year.

 

[HMHunters75]

Thanks again! your replies have been very helpful. BSK, I am going to go with the white pine interior, loblolly exterior row design. As you say, the weakest of the white pines can be replaced later. Stovepipe, you are absolutely right about the artificial "fencerow" being a great setup... too great in my experience- I used one on another small property successfully until neighboring hunters noticed the deer traffic and positioned their stands accordingly. The hunters around the property that needs a pine screen seem to want to hunt as close to the property as possible, and it's hard to blame them. My property is extremely thick and harbors an amazing number of deer. Each year, difficult as it is, I do not enter this property until after Thanksgiving. Each year I either kill or miss a mature buck ( if you consider 3.5 mature... many don't) the first, second, or third time I hunt the property. Once again, thanks for everyone's replies.

 

[Jarred525]

On mine, the area I was working with was pasture with no trees. I just bushhogged the area and planted. I do lime and fertilize annually as I want these trees to grow as quickly as possible. Every January I go through and bushhog around the trees and also weedeat. I am going to continue to do this until the trees get very well established. I'll try and take some pics and post them next week.

BSK is exactly right. The hardwoods will take over, especially with virginia or white pine since they are slower growers.

Arsenal may be another option to spray to eliminate the hardwoods. I have not used it to spray around pine before but plan on trying it in the future with a couple of pine areas I am establishing this year.

Here are some pics of one area where I have planted virginia pine. To the left is a 5 acre thicket. My plan is to try and surround this thicket with pine so you can't see in, and continue to keep things cut down in the thicket for good cover. I did 12 ft spacing, and keep it cut and trimmed every 2 years until it gets well established. I also go through and replace any pine that have died every year. These particular pine are 4 years old. Virginia is slow growing.

By the way, that is my leaking pond in the background you might remeber posts from me in the past on. On my list to try and get it fixed.


http://i944.photobucket.com/albums/ad28 ... 1_2306.jpg

 

[Jarred525]

 

[Football Hunter]

That looks nice

 

[Missme]

My farm backs up to a paper company that is leased. The first year I had a problem with stand on lease property sitn on property line almost facing my property. After a year of parking my 4 wheeler 20 yards on my property from their tree stand and walkin on to my hunting stand, the next year their stand was gone. Aint been back in 6 years now. Guess they got tired of watching my 4 wheeler sit there.