Screening trees

[howboutthemdawgs]

new property has a cabin with a long view of some “crows feet” food plots. I want to screen the plots from the cabin so they feel a little more comfortable while we are there. What’s a good tree to plant for that? I have Leland cypress at my house and those would do the trick but man they grew tall!

 

[Chainsaw]

Miscanthus Giganteous is not a tree but it has made a successful screen here and has had no problems with being invasive in anyway as advertised.
https://www.mapleriverfarms.com/

 

[dawghall]

Eastern red cedar and thuja green giant are a couple more options. We can get either from the GA Forestry Commission (just guessing you might be from GA from the username. Go Dawgs and watch out for The LLC. He's from GA but not a fan lol).

 

[howboutthemdawgs]

Eastern red cedar and thuja green giant are a couple more options. We can get either from the GA Forestry Commission (just guessing you might be from GA from the username. Go Dawgs and watch out for The LLC. He's from GA but not a fan lol).

Go Dawgs! And about the LLC not everyone can handle to pressure of being one of the best. As Kirby says pressure is privilege! (I’m just messing with you LLC!)
I am but this is for a property in Ky.
Thank y’all for the advice

 

[Mennoniteman]

Im also looking for a screen. Anyone have experience with Norway Spruce for a screen?

 

[catscratch]

Sawtooth oak hold leafs until spring, grow much faster than most evergreens, can be topped to make a bush type shape, and add nutritional value once they start producing. If it were me I would consider planting switchgrass and sawtooth seedlings ASAP.... just throwing that out there as an option.

 

[buckdeer1]

My sawtooths still have some of their leaves,there are a couple of oaks that hold almost 100% I believe one was a swamp oak

 

[Chainsaw]

Im also looking for a screen. Anyone have experience with Norway Spruce for a screen?

I planted a two row mix of Norway spruce and blue spruce transplants 12 or to 15 years ago. They would have made a great screen as the branches start out low on the trunk but we didn't keep up replacing the ones that died or got bush hogged by accident so there are some gaps in the screen. It is along the road and the deer did not bother them there. However elsewhere during extreme winters where all other browse was buried under five feet of snow those Norway spruce planted close to deer trails were browsed enough that they did not grow into screening quality trees.

I'm going with the Miscanthus here as it only takes about three years to be effective and the deer have not browsed it here that I can tell.
The link below has pics of our Miscanthus screen as well as one of our poplar regrowth screens. Just scroll down the page a little. The poplar screen of course is only effective when the leaves are in place.
http://deerhunterforum.com/index.php?threads/recreating-a-deer-woods.1088/page-17

 

[Paradise725]

Brian,
In our area, Virginia pines grow like weeds. If given enough space, they will grow branches from the ground all the way up. These would be an easy, native species to try. You’d be welcome to come to my place and dig up as many as you can find to transplant over there. I’d bet you could find plenty on your place too. Red cedars are also native and would work. Below is a picture from our main access road. None of the cedars or pines you see were planted. All natural screening.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[willy]

If you have good sun on the area I would go with Chainsaw's idea of miscanthus giganteous backed with some coniferous variety that several mentioned as well. The miscanthus will give you an excellent screen in three years, two if you're lucky and in 10 years or so your coniferous trees will have grown enough to be your permanent screen. It is said miscanthus lives about 20 years.

I planted miscanthus in two rows 2' apart with plants staggered every 20" and after the 2nd growing season they were a quality screen already. I used them as you are wanting to and they did exactly what you want to happen with the deer in your plots. My plot I screened is 200 yards from the house in full view, now it is basically blocked from view, one can see the far end as it is higher in elevation but that doesn't seem to matter to the deer now. It is now a easily hunted plot if one wants to do so.I get a lot of great deer pics now on that plot in daylight and darkness.

 

[dogghr]

Im also looking for a screen. Anyone have experience with Norway Spruce for a screen?

Yea they are awesome... for the deer. Of the couple hundred I've planted, I've had maybe 10 survive. And supposedly deer dont' like them. Deer either eat or rub them to death. Caging would work if not doing many. Finally gave up on them.

 

[THE LLC]

GATORS!!!!! Nothing beats lelands for quick screening. Plus they don't carry CAR like cedars do if you plant apples nearby AND doves love to roost and nest in them if you ever take a fancy to building a dove field.

 

[Mitch123]

Brian,
In our area, Virginia pines grow like weeds. If given enough space, they will grow branches from the ground all the way up. These would be an easy, native species to try. You’d be welcome to come to my place and dig up as many as you can find to transplant over there. I’d bet you could find plenty on your place too. Red cedars are also native and would work. Below is a picture from our main access road. None of the cedars or pines you see were planted. All natural screening.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

White pines have formed a great screen for us along the road in WV. We dig them up by the 5 gallon bucket every spring and transplant them. Have had great success.

 

[JDunham]

Im also looking for a screen. Anyone have experience with Norway Spruce for a screen?

They work great but it will be 6-10 years before they are big enough to start screening. Plan on caging them until they are bigger as the bucks will rub them once they are about 3-4 foot tall and kill them.

 

[Oakseeds]

A suggestion for you or anyone else who plants grass - MG/EW/hybrid poplars as a temp screen and conifers (e.g., ERC or NS) to ultimately replace them. Plant the conifers (outside rows / e.g., along a road) with the temporary screen plants inside (toward the interior of the property). Ottherwise, when the permanent screen plants/trees are large enough, you will end up with wasted space between your screen and the area (e.g., a road) you are attempting to screen out. This is especially important on properties of smaller size.

 

[Oakseeds]

A suggestion for you or anyone else who plants grass - MG/EW/hybrid poplars as a temp screen and conifers (e.g., ERC or NS) to ultimately replace them. Plant the conifers (outside rows / e.g., along a road) with the temporary screen plants inside (toward the interior of the property). Ottherwise, when the permanent screen plants/trees are large enough, you will end up with wasted space between your screen and the area (e.g., a road) you are attempting to screen out. This is especially important on properties of smaller size.

 

[j-bird]

If you don't mind feeding the critters as part of the process, most oaks and american beech both hold their leaves well into the winter as well AND make great trees to hide a hunter in as well! Obviously I would not use them in screening from a road or a neighbor. I am currently transplanting cedars and have MG growing for a road screen project.