the land i hunt is a few patches of small timber with alot of crp inbetween. I'd like to increase the amount of timber to improve white tail hunting. About how long does it take to get some good timber (how longs it take trees to grow?) and about how much would it cost to get an acre of timber started?

Some things that may help you out. I live in Iowa, the soil should be good, like i said above the land is crp with some hillyness to it.

Also would the local conservation department help a guy with labor and costs if he wanted to plant some timber for deer hunting? I realize it varies but if they do about how much do you think they would donate to the project?

I don't know about the programs, they probably won't be interested unless your talking about reforesting an area that historically had forest on it. I'm not a silviculturist but your probably looking at at least 30 years before it's of any value as whitetail cover.

30 years is along time, but i'm only 18 so i'd still get to enjoy it

If you plant quick growing species such as poplar, sawtooth oak, willows (white pine -slower) you should be closing the canopy in about 10 years. To do this you'll have to use weed control and possibly fertilizer. You'll get a quicker closing if you plant at a higher density and then remove trees as they get to thick. You could plant shrubs and other vegetation which will benefit the deer, give them security and provide food while the trees are growing. Again, the grass will be the worst enemy of the trees. The conifers can fend for themselves better than hardwoods which will require more weed control.

Dan O.

QT; I cost me $.35 for conifers and $1.00 a tree for hardwoods plus $.25 a tree to plant and $.10 a tree for Simazine. At 600 trees to the acre you're looking at $420 for conifers and about $900 for hardwoods. With the hardwoods you'll have to keep up the herbicide or mulch the trees. You can keep the costs lower if you grow the trees yourself, plant them and spray for weeds with a hand sprayer. You can grow poplars from cuttings dipped in rooting hormone. Just grow them in water bottles with the ends cut off and transplant in the fall or stick the cuttings directly into the soil when it's moist.


Dan O.

There is one program that may help you plant those trees, but you must have cropland or active farmland to apply and it has to be along a stream or water source. It is called the Conservation Reserve Enhancement Plan (CREP). Talk to your local FSA or NRCS agent to find out what programs are offered in you area. Good Luck!

How much land are you going to be working with? If you have much land It could turn out to be amazing if you want to put a summer worth of work into it.

Buy some Hybrid Poplars. I bought 30 off Ebay for $50 and they grow 5-8' per year in proper growing conditions. The ones I planted last year were 4', and grew to about 9' in their first year with me.

They have no nutritional value, and produce no seed...but they do provide timber and they grow like hell.

there is probably around 150 acres. there is a creek going through it and about 30 acres of farmed land. then probably 50 acres of pasture with 2 ponds, 5-10 acres of timber, and the rest is crp

The CREP land is different than CRP. With the CREP program you must fence off the streams and develop alternative water sources, and you must plant trees. I enrolled in the program and planted about 350 trees at the expense of the program funds. Unfortunately, they were in the flood plain and after two 100 year floods in a two week period they all died[&o]