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YOU ARE HERE: www.marionswcd.org >
tree >
Glenn Lange, Marion Co. SWCD displays the relative sizes of
trees and shrubs we have available at our spring and fall tree sale
each year and how they may vary depending on the species chosen.
Additional Trees and Shrubs General
Information?
General information and pictures of most of
the trees and shrubs that folks want to know more about are available at
an Ohio State Forestry website
at: Ohio
Trees Index. Many of these same trees & shrubs are available at
our spring or fall tree sales depending on availability
Naturescaping Encouraged
What is Naturescaping? It simply is the
concept of landscaping with native plants. For ideas on naturescaping
visit the Environmental Protection Agency’s
Landscaping with Native Plants
Website. Also see EPA's natural landscaping plant
factsheets.
Interested individuals are also encouraged to talk to their local plant
nursery personnel, visit their local library for books on natural
landscaping or contact the Marion County Soil and Water Conservation
District.
Why Plant Trees and Shrubs?
Trees are nature’s air
conditioners. They shade and cool our homes bring songbirds close by and
mark the changing seasons. Kids love to climb them and sometimes build
tree houses among their branches. For all of us, trees are a source of
lumber, food and countless products – and they beautify our communities
and countryside.
You can plant trees and become a part of the “Plant a Million” project.
Find out more about this exciting new project by visiting
www.plantamillion.org . The goal of the project is to help people
understand the importance of trees and their management and to plant one
million native trees in central Indiana.
Trees also conserve energy, reduce soil erosion, clean the air we breathe,
and help protect and improve water quality. If trees are to provide all
these benefits, we need to care for the trees we have, and plant more for
the future. Central Indiana’s ten Soil and Water Conservation Districts
and their partnership agencies are a source of technical help in deciding
which tree or shrub species to plant based on soil and other
considerations.
Birds and small animals need concealed places for nesting and hiding,
protected from the eyes of predators. Planting conifers or evergreen
trees, preferably in a group of three or more trees, can create such
places in a school yard, farmyard or back yard. Planting hedges with low
branches are another great bird habitat. Prickly or thorny plants keep
some predators away. Planting shrubs or plants with overhanging branches
is another good practice.
When planting trees to improve wildlife habitat, consider the importance
of providing food trees. Good species for summer fruit are cherries,
dogwood, plums and apricots. Seeds are great bird and small mammal food.
Trees for this purpose include ash, birch, fir, hemlock, maple, spruce and
sweet gum. Butternut, black walnut, chestnut, hazel, hickory, oak and
pecan trees produce nuts and acorns. Winter fruits from apple, crabapple,
dogwood, hackberry, hawthorn and mountain ash trees are important when
other sources of food are snow covered. No matter what their individual
food preferences may be, all birds and animals need a dependable source of
water close by. This can be supplied by creating a small pond or birdbath
in a protected area.
Songbirds are natural pest control specialists and are important in the
city and country for that reason. You can increase their presence with
trees that provide both food and protection from their predators. Contact
the Marion County Soil and Water Conservation District for copies of
publications like “Backyard Conservation” or “Your Yard, Your
Trees” that can help you plan a great backyard.
Tree & Shrub Planting Information
(Be patient the following files are in pdf format, and may take
some time to download)
Tree
and Shrub Establishment Fact Sheet
Tree and Shrub
Establishment Standards
Tree and Shrub Pruning
Standards
Tree & Shrub Web Sites
Plant A Million Trees Project
Hoosier
Heartland RC&D Backyard Trees Program
Invasive
Species Council
NRCS Plant Materials
Program Web Site
Forestry Organizations
Indiana (IDNR)
Division of Forestry
Indiana Forestry & Woodland Owners
Association
Hoosier USDA-Forest Service
National Forest
USDA-Forest Service
Indiana USDA- Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS)
USDA- Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS)
National Arbor
Day Foundation
General Plant Web Site
(VegSpec is a web-based decision support system that assists land managers
in the planning and design of vegetative establishment practices. VegSpec
utilizes soil, plant, and climate data to select plant species that are
(1) site-specifically adapted, (2) suitable for the selected practice, and
(3) appropriate for the purposes and objectives for which the planting is
intended)
Veg Spec Web Site
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