One of our goals for 2019 and goals for 2020 has been planting more trees. Rather than just adding more Birch and Spruce I have been hard at work researching what kinds of trees we should plant, where we should plant them, and what they will provide for us. I have chosen each to help diversify our current property use and be part of a healthy ecosystem. Diversifying our forest will help it’s carbon capture abilities, as well as it’s ability to withstand disease and insects.

Because of geography and temperature drops over winter, some of these trees will spend several years growing out in a greenhouse before being hardened off for planting. This will help make sure they are strong enough to survive our weather. A few are not specifically rated to grow in our USDA Zone, which is right between 3 and 4, but I want to experiment with them. From providing wood, to sap, to flowers and fruit, I have plans to plant over 1,000 trees for diversifying our forest. If this is a good year for our fishing, I’ll be able to plant at least 1,000 this year. Otherwise we will be planning them in the next few years. Read on for my selection and why I chose each tree species for our land.

Almond

Hall’s Hardy Almond can survive down to -20F. I don’t like almonds except for straight off the tree when they are soft, so these are a must on my list. While I plan to plant them in a high tunnel permanently, I also want a few more to test planting outside. We do reach -30F regularly and can dip to -40F for short periods, but I’m hoping more mature trees won’t die even if there is some damage.

Trees Planned	Trees Planted
6	0

Apple

Apples are easily my favorite fruit, so this requires a large selection of fruit for me. Some for fresh eating, some for apple sauce and baking, and some for storing. I plan on ordering trees for Galas, Jonathans, Bancroft, Early McIntosh, Honeycrisp, Heyer 12, Wilson Juicy, and a variety of other domestic types. These trees will range from -20F to -50F and will all be planted directly into the ground, minus a few of the Honeycrisp trees. Having worked in my family’s orchard, I’ve learned Honeycrisp trees can need to be babied, so I want to make sure a few trees receive the best care, just in case.

Trees Planned	Trees Planted
39	1

 

Apricot

Another type of tree I’d like to test out here, Moorpark Apricots, are rated to -30F and should be fine planted outdoors. I’m going to mature them for a few years in a high tunnel before planting in the ground as a precaution. I have yet to find anyone in Alaska planting apricots, so I’m not sure how they will react to our thaw/freeze cycles in spring.

Trees Planned	Trees Planted
5	0

Basswood

American Basswood, or American Linden, can survive down to -50F. Young leaves and flowers are edible, and the trees coppice naturally, making for easier wood harvesting. Linden is also a tappable tree, producing a nutritious 1% sugar sap. Leaf buds in early spring also make a tasty snack. It’s also a great tree to have for future honey production as the flowers produce a unique flavor in honey.

Trees Planned	Trees Planted
50	0

Birch

It may seem odd to plant more Paper Birch when our property is already full of it. As we expand our land use, adding a driveway, home, and animal pens, we’ll need to replace what we take down. Birch syrup will be a great edition to our kitchen, and we can make flour from the dried inner bark of the tree. I also plan to test some River Birch in the lower-lying areas of our property, as they can withstand regular flooding.

Trees Planned	Trees Planted
30+	0

Cedar

Eastern Red Cedar is another experimental tree for my list. Good to -50F according to USDA, they should do fine in Zone 3. Cedar is well known for repelling insects and smelling wonderful when burned. It also has medicinal uses and is a wonderful wood for building with as it contains compounds that resist decomposition.

Trees Planned	Trees Planted
15	10

Cherry

I have several types of Cherry tree planned. Bali, North Star and Black cherry are all good to -30F to -40F. I also want to experiment with Skeena cherries, which are a sweet eating type. These are only rated for -25F and will need to be matured in a greenhouse before being transplanted outside. I will leave several planted in the high tunnel as a backup in case they aren’t viable here in our winters.

Trees Planned	Trees Planted
70	0

Chestnut

I plan on planting both American and Chinese varieties of Chestnut. While these are a slow growing tree, eventually they will provide chestnuts, which are delicious! These will also be good for wood and shade as well.

Trees Planned	Trees Planted
14	0

Dogwood

Red Osier Dogwood will add beautiful fall color to our property. We will plant the first ones as a privacy screen, then propagate more via cuttings.

Trees Planned	Trees Planted
10	0

Elderberry

American Elderberry trees can survive temperatures as low as -40F. Ripened berries are great for making wine, juice, pies and jams. They thrive in wetter conditions, which we have plenty of here! I also have selected a few each of Blue and Adams Elderberry. These can withstand temperatures of -25F, and will be planted in the high tunnel. It is suggested to plant Red Elderberries near these to produce a larger crop, and we have an abundance of Red Elderberry growing wild on our property. This should make for a bumper crop!

Trees Planned	Trees Planted
19	0

Fir

Douglas, Balsam and Concolor are all good to -30F and will be a great addition to diversify the forest on our land. Fir has medicinal uses, such as tea from needles, which is high in vitamin C. Fir will also create privacy and homes and food for wildlife. Grouse especially enjoy the needles and buds of fir trees.

Trees Planned	Trees Planted
75+	0

Hazelnut

American Hazelnut can survive to -30F, so it should be fine if we get an occasional cold snap lower than that. While some consider these a shrub rather than a tree, they can reach heights of between 15 and 40ft. That is definitely tree heights! Hazelnuts are delicious, and the tree can be coppiced and branches used for wattle fencing.

Trees Planned	Trees Planted
15	0

Hickory

Another nut tree! Shagbark Hickory is known to grow in areas with temperatures as low as -35F. These trees will do well in our soil, though they are a slower growing and producing tree. Hickory wood is often used in smoking meats to impart its unique flavor. There are many recipes for hickory smoked salmon that I am excited to try!

Trees Planned	Trees Planted
4	0

Maple

I’m planning on planting Sugar Maple and Sweet Sap Silver Maples, which grow faster and have a slightly higher sugar content. Silver Maples also thrive in consistently wet areas, like much of our property in spring. Sugar Maples are often browsed by Moose, so they will need some fencing to protect them from this. Looking forward to all that maple syrup!

Trees Planned	Trees Planted
140+	3

Mulberry

I love Mulberry trees. The berries are delicious and are ripe when they fall from the tree. Illinois Ever-bearing are good to -40F so they will be a perfect edition to our diversification out here.

Trees Planned	Trees Planted
6	1

Oak

Most of the oak trees we will be planting will be Swamp White Oak as they do well in moist soil, and even in standing water. These trees can grow up to 2ft a year. Also in the plan are several each of Red, White and Bur Oak, which are slower growing in their first years. Red Oak is especially good for areas with compacted soil, and we have quite a few areas of compacted clay I’m hoping they will break through.

Trees Planned	Trees Planted
77+	2

Pawpaw

It might seem strange to grow these in Alaska, but they actually grow wild in Canada! Tropical taste aside, these can withstand temperatures of -20F. I will plant most of these Pawpaw trees directly into the ground inside a high tunnel. I want to harden a few off and test planting in microclimates, such as up against the south side of the house.

Trees Planned	Trees Planted
20	0

Peach

I have two types of peach tree planned. Veterans is one kind, which will be planted inside the high tunnel as it can only withstand -20F. The other is Reliance, and will be planted outside as it can withstand temperatures down to -50F. I’ve heard that both of these do well grown in high tunnels much farther north than I am. They will be a great addition to summer fresh eating here.

Trees Planned	Trees Planted
13	0

Pear

Bartlett Pear trees will all need to be planted in the high tunnel as they cannot withstand our temperature drops. These are my favorite pear, I think they taste best when nearly overripe. For best production I will need to plant another type of pear tree close by, though I have yet to decide which kind. Most likely Bosc, which are a cold hardy variety, or Asian Pears, another favorite of mine.

Trees Planned	Trees Planted
7+	0

Pine

White, Red and Korean pine trees are all on my list. Korean Pines have the largest pine nut and we will harvest the nuts that we can. The cones of pine trees are very sticky though, so it won’t be a particularly easy task.

Trees Planned	Trees Planted
120+	0

Plum

Plum varieties I have planned include Black Ice, Northern Blue, Underwood and American Wild type. Each of these varieties will do well with temperature drops to -40F. I plan to have one or two planted in the high tunnel, but I will plant the rest throughout our land.

Trees Planned	Trees Planted
56	3

Poplar

Hybrid Poplar trees will be planted in various areas around our property to help fill in areas where we have removed trees. This is a fast-growing variety and should mature quickly. Fast-growing trees are an important part of our plan for diversifying our property.

Trees Planned	Trees Planted
20	0

Royal Empress

The Arctic variety of this tree can withstand temperatures of -15F. These are a fast growing, showy tree with great smelling flowers. If I can harden them off in the high tunnel, I eventually want to plant them at the edges of our driveway. This tree can also be cut multiple times and regrow from the stump.

Trees Planned	Trees Planted
2	10

Spruce

Sitka Spruce is the most prevalent tree on our property. This last year an infestation of spruce beetles came through and decimated our larger trees. The only upside of spruce beetles is the trees they kill make fantastic firewood and lumber, as they dry slowly while still standing. As spruce beetle usually attack Sitka, White and Lutz spruce, we will plant mostly Colorado Blue Spruce and Norway Spruce, as spruce beetles are less likely to kill those kinds. We’ll also plant White Spruce to replace what we lost this year.

Trees Planned	Trees Planted
135+	122

Sycamore

Hardy to -30F, American Sycamore is a fast-growing tree, reaching heights of up to 80ft tall. These trees prefer moist soil, which we have an abundance of. This tree does well in compacted areas, and wetland and floodplains, making it perfect for our marshier areas.

Trees Planned	Trees Planted
10	1

Tamarack

American Tamarack is fast growing as a juvenile and does well in wetlands and bogs. It grows all over Alaska’s interior, so it should do well here.

Trees Planned	Trees Planted
20	0

Walnut

While I’m not a fan of walnuts, I appreciate the tree. Black Walnut is a tappable tree with a sap sugar content of about 4-5%. We can use the syrup in any way that we would use maple syrup. The green hull can be used to help cure and prevent fungal infections, such as ringworm.

Trees Planned	Trees Planted
5	0

Willow

Not just for beauty, Willow trees are also useful. From willow bark as medicine to using cuttings to create baskets or living fences, Willow is a valuable asset for our land. They can even grow in standing water!

Trees Planned	Trees Planted
30	33

Total trees planned	Total trees planted
1,031+	186

Total trees planned: 1,031+

No small feat, and it won’t be cheap overall. Some trees will be plugs from forestry services, running about $0.80 for each tree. Others, like fruit trees, can run between $30-45 each and that runs the total well up. While I hope that I can plant at least 1,000 trees this year, with the current state of the world and cost of purchasing, it’s looking more likely that I’ll plant in groupings over the next several years.

To lower the cost of this endeavor, I will plant some trees rooted from cuttings from friends. My family has also agreed to send me some suckers from fruit trees they have, and “volunteer” walnut and hazelnut trees. I also joined the Arbor Day Foundation, which came with a gift of 10 trees and a discount in the Arbor Day nursery. And to top it all off, I applied for a Forest Health grant for bark beetle prevention, suppression, and restoration practices.

This project is more than planting trees and diversifying, though.

It is also about walking our land and checking the status of our current forest, learning what is growing and where. It will give me an opportunity to map the lower-lying areas that hold water in spring and summer, tend to patches of wild edibles, and decided where our house and driveway will be placed to create the least disturbance. I’ll be building up the soil in each spot I plant a tree and marking what is in each area for future forest management.

Thanks for reading, and be sure to follow us on Facebook for tree planting updates!

Update: Due to a mixture of things, including COVID-19 and a drought, I stopped planting at 186 trees this year. When we put in a well I’ll pick this back up and continue planting!