Keeping Track of Trees in the Field

[Bottomland]

I'm a tree nut, like many of you, and I'm getting to the point where I've planted so many trees on my property that I almost have too many to keep track of in my head. Most of mine are labeled with a metal tag with the cultivar name. I noticed recently that a couple of the first trees I planted have lost the metal tag, and I'm having a hard time remembering what some of them were (these were some random pear varieties). Anyways, I'm looking at going to a structured two part labeling system. One part will be a weatherproof field tag with an ID number & cultivar name. The other part is going to be a series of maps of each planting area/field that show where the trees are in a certain plot and what its number is, with a corresponding list with tree data (Cultivar, date planted, where I received tree or scion from, drop date, etc) for each tree. That sounds like alot but I have close to 100 fruit/nut trees planted on my farm in the past 5 years, and I want to make sure I have a record, especially as I add even more varieties and graft with scions shared with me by others.

For example, I have one large food plot that I have been planting with trees over the past 3-4 years. I am up to 30 trees along the perimeter as of February 2017 (all caged/tubed and staked). Pears, plums, crabapples, and apples in all different varieties. Most of them are tagged, and at the moment I can recall what each tree is from memory, but I need a better record keeping system since this field is so diverse.

What are some things ya'll do to keep track of trees? Are metal tags the best bet to label in the field, or do ya'll have better options?

 

[mattpatt]

I printed out a map from Google Earth and marked it up with what went where. You can actually do it by dropping pins in the Google Earth application itself but I never did that.


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[OkieKubota]

I need to mark trees...I ended up accidentally using my poly bladed weedeater cleaning an area I have planted in trees and I ended up accidentally cutting down about 5

 

[buckdeer1]

I draw a map and assign a number corresponding to tree .

 

[THE LLC]

Where do y'all get the metal tree tags at?

 

[Fish]

Just so you know, deer like my metal tags more than they like turnips.
Hang em' high.

 

[Fish]

Where do y'all get the metal tree tags at?

Hey LLC, might have been Ben Meadows.

 

[Bottomland]

Where do y'all get the metal tree tags at?

I ordered a 100 pack off of amazon.

 

[mattpatt]

Ebay


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[Weasel]

I have a tree ID "Note" in my iPhone that lists all of the trees by name and location. My phone is always with me so I can add to it or check to see an ID any time.