Habitat Species.

Hey Guys,

We are working on ordering some shrubs and trees for next year (shelterbelt program) and was wondering if anyone here has any experience with Hedge Rose, Siberian Crabapple, or oak? We planted buffaloberry and buckthorn this year with high survival rates but we would like to get a bit of diversity out there. Has anyone seen these plants used under dry conditions such as dryland in the Lethbridge or Butte region? We're hoping to have enough cover for pheasants in about 10 years with how fast the belts seem to grow but its a start. I have never seen oak used in Alberta but i see its reccomended and has low moisture requirements.
on the PFRA site. Any other suggestions? We're looking to put in another half mile of belt next spring. Thanks for any experiences/input. I know a few guys on here are invloved in the AFGA stuff so may have seen some of these shrubs used.
jrs

[duffy4]

The spiesies you mention all sound good and I know that Pheasants Forever have planted similar on some projects near Reddeer.

Choke cherry might be good (it is another they used). And of course Caragana (Siberian pea tree). A great "dry area" shrub/tree that provides great habitat for lots of critters in SW Alberta.

Robin in Rocky

[Dunezilla]

Would Saskatoon Berry bushes work. I find wild raseberry bushes in dry places, maybe you can plant them.

I'm going by whats available through the PFRA. I am thinking some caragana but we prefer trees with winter food (berries). Its too dry for chokecherry and saskatoons over most the area but we are considering a small chokecherry patch among some willows. Saskatoon aren't available through the PFRA. I'm not familiar with the hedge rose, oak or Siberian Crabapple and haven't seen them used so i was hoping someone on here may have.

[Reeves1]

I had the poorest trees I have ever seen from the Alberta shelter belt place. I'll look for the proper name later...

Best trees & bushes I've gotten in Alberta has been from tree time.com and from the Saskatoon Farm. Both places deliver high quality trees and bushes, and they have high survival rates.
The other place shipped dry roots (and I mean completely dry & in some cases moldy). Lucky to get 1 in 10 to live. They also have no idea what a cull is: they ship them to you !

I do know how & what trees should look like when shipping & recieving: worked at a tree nursery for a few years near where I grew up in Ont.

For Pheasants , plant for two things they need: food and shelter. (but you knew that!)

Found the info for the one I'll never deal with again.

Alberta Shelterbelt Program
Alberta Nurseries , Bowden
(www.marketland.net)

Hands down, the worst trees and bushes I've seen in three Provinces !

Thanks for the heads up Reeves. We had the PFRA shrubs (which are free aside from shipping, well over a thousand shrubs cost us $25.00 total) and had great success. If it wasn't for a skunk problem we're having we would have had 90% survival even though we felt very negative when plantingthem (little twigs with roots basically). Figured i'd also mention on here i'll be away for a bit working (already running late today due to some stuff at home) but if anyone else adds anything i will lookup this post again when i get a chance. Thanks for info guys, the little tidbits of help can go a long ways. I like trying to put some cover back on the landscape when everyone else seems to be going the other way. Talked to a farmer yesterday we often hunt with and land demand has come to the point he's plowing in whats left of his old fenceline and some grassland to increase the bottomline a bit. High land prices are bad for many reasons.