High Point Soil & Water Conservation District is now taking orders for evergreen and hardwood seedlings. Landowners are encouraged to purchase these one-year-old seedlings for windbreak plantings before preferred stock is sold out.
Each year thousands of regionally adapted seedlings are grown from seed by West Texas Nursery – Texas A&M Forest Service in Idalou. The agency’s primary objective is to produce and sell quality seedlings at an affordable price for landowners, allowing them to plant large quantities of trees for windbreaks.
You may be asking yourself, “What is a windbreak”? A windbreak consists of trees and shrubs systematically planted adjacent to fields, homesteads, or feedlots as a barrier to reduce or redirect the wind. They create protection and habitat for wildlife, reduce erosion, and increase land value and aesthetics. They are established where production ends and homesteads begin and they also act as protection for a residence, which increases the heating and cooling efficiency of a homestead.
Farmstead windbreaks block the hot, dry winds of summer and the cold gusts of winter. Multiple row windbreaks add natural beauty, privacy and value to a homestead and act as a sound barrier to highway or farm road traffic, as well as protect the soil, increase land value and enhance crop yields.
Livestock windbreaks are very beneficial during the winter and summer months. Cattle hidden in an “L” or “U” shaped multiple row windbreak are allowed to utilize their energy to continue gaining weight rather than use it to keep warm, as a result, the amount of feed afforded by the producer is reduced. These windbreaks also reduce the risk of mortality during the harsh winter months, such as Winter Storm Goliath in 2015. They also provide shade during the hot summer months and help keep the dust down when used around dairies and feedlots.
The following evergreen container seedlings are sold in bundles of 25/$75.00: Afghanistan Pine, Italian Stone Pine, and Oriental Arborvitae.
The following hardwood container seedlings are sold in bundles of 25/$75.00: Baldcypress, Catalpa, Cedar Elm, Fourwing Saltbush, and Green Ash.
The following hardwood bareroot seedlings are sold in bundles of 25/$50.00: American Plum, Bur Oak, Chinkapin Oak, Pecan, and Shumard Oak.
For more information on purchasing seedlings, please contact us at (432) 386-3437 or email us at [email protected] and you may contact West Texas Nursery – Texas A&M Forest Service directly at (806) 892-3572, should you have questions in regards to the species which would best fit your needs.
