How many tree seedlings per acre?

[tallpines]

We are going to plant some 3 year old Fraser Fir trees, 5 - 10 inches tall this spring.

How many should we order for an acre of land?

[wy_white_wolf]

What kind of spacing do you want?

[BetsyK in Mich]

This is the time of year for your local Conservation Districts Annual Tree Sale. Give them a call and they can tell you spacing or anything else you need to know, and maybe sell you some more trees. The annual sale is the main source of funding for many districts now.

[JasoninMN]

What is your goal? Screening or Christmas Trees?

[tallpines]

Our goal is a source of family Christmas trees ----- and a means to keep my retired, workaholic husband occupied!

30 years ago he planted an acre's worth of trees thinking one day he might sell some.
However, a busy life prevented the trees from being properly manicured and other than being a source of Christmas trees for family, friends and neighbors, none were ever sold.

Now we have a cleared acre on the corner of our 40 acre woods, and he's getting the itch to plant more trees.

We will probably plant only 1/2 acre's worth so we still have an area for harvesting some top soil --- and room for an ATV trail through it all.

We just don't remember how many we planted back in 1972.
Those trees ------ those that remain ---- are all getting to be 30 - 40 feet tall now.
We still harvest a few each year, cutting out the top 15 feet or so to use for Christmas trees.

[Old Vet]

Since they come in packages of 1000 I would order 1000. If you are going to plant then on a 8' X 8' setting that will be more than enough. But the planting season is almost over you will probity have to wait until next year to plant them.

[agmantoo]

Ashe county North Carolina is the fraser fir Christmas tree center. If I recall correctly they plant approximately 1200 trees per acre and expect to harvest something over 1000 prime Christmas trees per acre in 7 years. Those trees that are not up to quality are used to make garland / roping and wreaths. Let someone verify this prior to ordering. Have you considered harvesting seed from those trees you planted in the 70's?

[tallpines]

Originally Posted by Old Vet

Since they come in packages of 1000 I would order 1000. If you are going to plant then on a 8' X 8' setting that will be more than enough. But the planting season is almost over you will probity have to wait until next year to plant them.

Our fozen ground is still covered with snow!

Around here, April - May is tree planting time.

[DW]

We were hoping it would get warm enough to melt our snow...not yet!!

[Old Vet]

Originally Posted by tallpines

Our fozen ground is still covered with snow!

Around here, April - May is tree planting time.

I didn't see where you were at. The tree planting season in Arkansas is from December to March but in the frozen north it will be when ever to to June but it must be before the trees begin to get new growth for it to be successful. Bare root seedlings are not easily transported during hot weather unless you have refrigerated trailers to load them on. I know because I used to work at a bare root nursery.

[geo in mi]

tallpines:
You might try Musser Forests of Indiana Pa. I've ordered trees and such from them before and they seem pretty good. Their catalog discusses spacing, etc and has lots of choices. They are online, too.

[wy_white_wolf]

Since there are 43,560 square feet per acre at an 8x8 (64'sq) pattern one could plant 680 trees per acre. About 1/2 of what I've seen.

I think I would try planting them in rows 10' apart on with 4' spacing. Then you could harvest every other tree after 3-4 years for smaller landscape trees when the trimming for shaping into christmas trees begins. That would give you a finaly are of 80 square feet per tree. That would be a planting of @1090 trees per acre with 1/2 being landscaping trees and 1/2 being christmas trees. When I researched this out you could get more $ for landscape trees than christmas trees.

Might consider contacting a few landscapeing companies. You might be able to get some good money for those 30-40' trees if they have the equipment to handle them. Businesses and golf courses want mature landscaping from get go. Retail for them is about $25 a foot here with wholesale being about 1/2 that. That could make $350-500 per tree.

WWW

[tinknal]

As I remember the 150 year plan for plantation pines was seedlings 7 feet apart, rows 7 feet apart. The last harvest will be in 2160!