Several months ago, I was asked to provide a
shelterbelt workshop again here in Liberty County. As it has been a couple of years, I felt that
it was a reasonable request so I approached Peter Kolb, the Extension forestry
specialist about coming up Chester. He
graciously accepted my invitation and will be here in Chester on Thursday,
October 12th.
Do you know what steps you need to take when you look
out at your shelterbelt and see trees and shrubs that are declining? Many of our shelterbelts were planted decades
ago and are in various stages of decline.
There are many decisions that need to be made if we want to continue to
utilize shelterbelts for our landscape and farming practices. Do you renovate, tear an existing row out,
start from scratch or explore other options?
Is it better to go from multiple rows to a single row? What recommendations are out there about
suitable trees and shrubs? If you are
wondering how, when or what trees to plant for your yard, a windbreak or
shelterbelt, or have older trees that need care or renovation you might want to
attend the upcoming workshop. Growing
trees in central Montana is extremely challenging and Dr. Peter Kolb, M.S.U.
Extension Forestry Specialist, will be presenting a two-hour session on tree
care and shelterbelt planning and renovation in Chester. The program will be held on Thursday, October
12th, at 9:00 a.m. at St. Mary’s Youth Center, located at 11 West Quincy Avenue
in Chester. If you have examples or
experience, please bring those as well to share.
The workshop will be presented in two
sessions as follows: Hour one will explore how to care for your trees. This 1-hour session will provide basic tree
physiology information as well as practical information on selecting and
planting trees. Understanding the basics
of how a tree functions and what it needs with regards to light, water and nutrients
to grow and stay healthy will help anyone who has ever had trees to take care
of.
The second hour will be outdoors at the Hendrickson
Farm, approximately six miles south of Tiber elevator where the group can
address the basics of pruning trees to keep them healthy, designing a
shelterbelt and technics to renovate older ones. Determining optimal spacing for varied
species and assessing whether pruning or replanting is needed is the first
step. Additional steps focus on good
options for shelterbelts and will also be discussed. The program is free and open to the
public. RSVPs are appreciated but not
mandatory. For more information, please
contact the Liberty County Extension office at 759-5625.
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