Day 307

But when we do add trees,  what kind of trees will we add?

Many factors play a role in that decision. First off, we want native trees. We’ve spent time and money getting rid of invasive plants. We don't plan on adding ones that don't naturally belong here. While sticking with native trees may seem like it limits our options, there are still plenty of trees and shrubs to choose from. 

We need to factor in our soil. While some of our land has a drier upland soil, much of our land has very rich, moist wetland soil that might not be the best for certain species of trees. 

We’d prefer trees that are faster growing. Not only will this help protect our restoration project and property lines, we selfishly want to see these trees grow as much as we can while we can still enjoy them. We’d also like diversity in trees. Itlf be great to get a large variety of trees that grow to different heights, attract different animals, produce different fruits and berries, and have leaves that turn into various colors come autumn.

We also have decisions to make about where we put trees. Depending on their expected height, we don't want to put trees that will heavily shade the barn. This is where our solar panels are installed. It would be silly and reckless to put trees up where they would block the sun and limit the productivity of our solar panel system.

With our love of birds, getting trees that will attract nature is a high priority. It’d be also nice to get trees and shrubs that produce fruits and berries we can use to feed our animals and ourselves.

Needless to say, we love trees and look forward to adding them to our farm anywhere we can. With improved habitats, restoration protection, and willfie attracting as important goals in our reforestation process, we need to be patient and responsible. If money grew on trees, we’d plant an entire forest to get everything done. Trees are a big piece of the puzzle, but just a piece of the puzzle. In fact, our puzzle seems to keep growing day by day.