North Dakota Tree Nurseries Support Important Conservation Plantings

In partnership with: North Dakota Department of Agriculture

From creating a windbreak that protects crops on a farm to improving wildlife habitats in order to maintain ecological diversity, trees are North Dakota’s unsung heroes.

Two state nurseries specialize in growing seedlings for conservation tree plantings as well as projects that support restoration efforts, including reforestation, erosion control, windbreak creation, stream bank restoration and wildlife habitat improvement.

See more: 3 Farm Daughters Brings High-Fiber Pasta to Pantries Across the Nation

Conservation Conifers

Towner State Nursery is a 160-acre facility that supports conservation tree plantings across North Dakota and the region. According to Jeff Smette, the nursery manager, about half of its inventory goes to North Dakota soil conservation districts. The nursery also sells directly to residents, with a minimum order of 100 trees.

Other districts in states within the region source from Towner as well, including Minnesota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Wyoming and Montana.

Smette explains the nursery focuses on species that are fairly drought tolerant and cold hardy, so they have a fighting chance in North Dakota’s unforgiving climate.

“There’s not that many tree species that thrive on the northern Great Plains,” Smette says.

Towner aims to grow and sell a whopping 1 million seedlings per year and specializes in coniferous species. Its top sellers are the eastern red cedar, Rocky Mountain juniper, ponderosa pine, Black Hills and Colorado spruce.

See more: National Agricultural Genotyping Center Tests Work to Save the Honey Bees and Crops

Dazzling Deciduous

Meanwhile, Lincoln Oakes Nursery focuses on growing more than 75 varieties of deciduous trees, such as Russian almond, buffaloberry and other fruit-bearing tree varieties, on its 355-acre lot in Bismarck. The nursery aims to sell 1.2 million trees per year.

“Conservation tree planting in North Dakota is very important,” says Rhonda Kelsch, Lincoln Oakes Nursery executive director.

Lincoln Oakes is owned and operated by the North Dakota Association of Soil Conservation Districts and primarily serves the
54 soil conservation districts across the state. Any leftover stock usually goes to districts in other states.

“What the districts do is work with landowners, both rural and urban, in regard to if a landowner would like farmstead protection or if they’re looking to increase their wildlife habitat,” Kelsch explains.

Other applications include livestock protection and improving water quality and soil health.

“Most recently, we are seeing an increase in tree plantings that are being done along county roads that are, in essence, like a living snow fence or snow protection,” Kelsch says.

See more: North American Bison LLC Works to Maintain Herd Sustainability for North Dakota Bison Industry

Salvaging Soils

Though conservation tree plantings can be utilized in a variety of ways, addressing erosion is one of the most critical applications in North Dakota.

“The reason our nursery is here is because of the Dust Bowl, or the drought in the 1930s,” Smette says. “When folks homesteaded the prairie, they plowed under the native grasses and started growing wheat.”

This removed their handy root networks, which once helped hold soil in place, and it left the topsoil vulnerable to high winds during
this period.

Though the Dust Bowl has long passed, many farms are still vulnerable to erosion. Conservation tree plantings offer an effective solution: Not only do the trees help provide shelter from winds, but their dense root systems also anchor soil in place. Meanwhile, North Dakotans reap an array of other benefits thanks to conservation tree plantings.

“As our winters get worse and summers get warmer, there is a cost savings benefit to both your heating and cooling,” says Kelsch, referring to how trees provide shade in summer and a break from cold winds in winter. “And we’ve been able to see some improvement within the water quality near some of our water bodies or watersheds thanks to conservation tree plantings.”

See more: Dakota Zoo Bee Exhibit Showcases the Importance of Pollinators