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- Acreage & Plan
- Direct Hardwood Seeding
- Native Grasses
- Wild Flowers
- Property
- Photos
- DeerCam
- Trophy Room
- ATV Action
Welcome to Forgotten Acres
Spring of 1999 Grandma and Grandpa decided to enroll
in the USDA Wildlife Habitat Incentives Program (WHIP). WHIP helps
pay up to 75% of establishment costs of fish and wildlife habitat.
The Forgotten Acres project includes 14.5 acres of native prairie
restoration, prescribed burning, 1.5 ac wildlife opening, 41 ac.
of timberstand improvement and planting of 4000 native hardwood
trees. We have the next ten years to complete this project.
I am restoring 14.5 acres of pastureland back to native
prairie grasses and wild flowers.

In August of 1999, I mowed all of the pasture. It
took me 15 hours since it was so rough. I let it regrow to about
1 foot high and hired the Stewartville elevator to spray Roundup
on 12.0 acres. I was surprised they would even consider spraying
something so rough. Dad and I hand sprayed the remaining 2.5 acres.
This took about 8 hours to complete. In about a week everything
was dead.
Spring of 2000 Clarence (Jill's Dad) brought out the
big equipment to disk the fields and level them out. The fields
worked up nice and left enough grass residue to prevent soil erosion.
On May 15th, I rented Fillmore Soil and Water Districts
Truax Native grass drill to seed the project. I planted 5 grass
species and 15 species of wildflowers.( See list) On May 17th the
farm received 6 inches of rain. I thought the seed might have washed
away but the grass residue saved the planting. I mowed the sight
3 times in 2000 to keep all weed pressure to a minimum. By Fall
of 2000, the grasses and wildflowers started showing up. June 2001
I mowed the entire project again due to heavy bromegrass, broadleaf,
and thistle. The wet Spring was great for growing weeds. Dad and
I also walked the entire project and hand sprayed thistle. Look
at the pictures to see some of the wildflowers and grasses.
The woodsland was logged in 1995 and a mess of tree
tops were left. Dad and I have spent time cutting apart those tree
tops and creating some cover for the animals that inhabit the woods.
Since the woods had been pastured over the years there is very little
natural regeneration of Oaks, Walnuts, and other hardwood species
present. We will be planting certain areas Red and White Oak, Black
Walnut,and some White Pine.
I am also working on 41 acres
of timber stand improvement.
Timber Stand Improvement (TSI) involves removing,
cutting or chemical spraying undesirable tree and shrub species
such as box elder, elm, prickly ash, ironwood, and buchthorn. All
of the tree planting is done by hand since areas are not accessible
by machinery. Some areas of the woods has exceptional Ash regeneration.
I will not have to do much in those areas.
Almost all of the tree planting will be done by hand
since areas are not accessible by machinery.
On April 21 and 28th, 600 red and white oak were hand
planted on the Southside of the woods.
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Projects
Completed: |
2004
May & June 2004, 70 acres Native Grass & Wildflower
Planting. Native grasses were sprayed with Plateau.
April & May 2004, Tree Planting: White Pine, Oak
and Walnut. |
2003
October 2003, Completed Direct Hardwoods
Seeding.
Sept./Oct. 2003, Collected 12 bu Black
Walnuts, 1 bu Bur Oak, 1 bu Bitternut Hickory, 1 bu Butternut, 1/3
bu Green Ash, and 1/2 gal Hackberry seed. I purchased 1 3/4 bu White
Oak & 2 bu Red Oak acorns.
September 2003, sprayed and disked direct
hardwoods site due to bromegrass regrowth.
Spring 2003, chisel plowed & disked
pasture to create seedbed forFall 03' direct hardwoods seeding.
Spring 2003, planted 50 white pine, 50
walnut, and 50 red oak near direct hardwoods site. |
2002
Fall of 2002, mowed and sprayed 1 ac.
in preparation of 2003 direct hardwoods seeding.
Spring 2002, planted 300 White Oak, 100
Red Oak, 100 Swamp White Oak, 50 Black Walnut, and 50 White Pine
trees.
Feb/Mar 2002, Created 1.5 ac. wildlife
opening by removing prickly ash and buckthorn. This also created
an excellant opening for native red oaks to establish. |
2001
Spring 2001, Mowed fields and sprayed
thistle.
April 2001, 600 Red and White Oak trees
where planted throughout south woodland areas.
Spring of 2000, Grasses and Wildflowers
seeded. Mowed 3 times for weed control. |
1999
Fall of 1999, Dennis mowed and sprayed
pasture in preparation of 2000 grass seeding.
Spring 1999, Grandpa & Grandma Bussman
sign up for the Wildlife and Habitat Incentives Program (WHIP). |
Direct Hardwood Seeding
An innovative approach to hardwood regeneration (see Advantages of Direct Hardwood Seeding below) |
| Before Planting |
After Planting |
August 2002 Brome Grass Pasture

Site Preparation


Hardwood Seeds:
Front Row (left to right) Hickory, White Oak, Bur Oak, Red Oak
Back Row: Green Ash, Butternut, Hackberry,
Walnut, Chstnut

White Oak Acorns

Seed Mixers - Carter & Brandon

Hand Seeding - Dave & Bill

Disking in Seed |
October 2003

June 2004 - Oak and Walnut seedlings starting
to grow





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Establishing hardwood trees by sowing seed is a relatively new method that has several advantages over traditional planting of seedlings.
Advantages over seedling planting include:
- Better and quicker establishment: Direct seeding establishes thousands of seedlings per acre rather than hundreds per acre with traditional planting. Trees reach "crown closure" and begin shading out grass and weed competition earlier. Follow-up grass and weed control typically only needs to be done for 2 years after seeding, instead of 8 to 12 years with planting.
- Higher quality timber: Greater density of seedlings forces trees to grow straighter due to side competition from nearby stems. Competition decreases pruning needs and produces higher quality hardwood saw logs.
- Better use of natural selection: Trees best suited to a particular site will dominate because of large numbers of seed and species.
- Better adaptation to variations in site conditions: Small variances in site conditions aren't planned for when planting seedlings. With direct seeding, species and specimens best suited will take over in each area.
- More natural appearance: Direct seeding is a much closer approximation of mother nature's hardwood establishment method than seedling planting in rows.
- Better ability to withstand animal predation: Animals such as deer, while still causing damage by browsing, will be less likely to devastate a direct seeding than a traditional seedling plantation due to far greater stems per acre.
Direct Seeding Methods:
Site preparation: Sites covered by grass must be clipped in mid August to early September. The grass is then allowed to grow back several inches and is killed with a broadcast treatment of herbicide. After dieback, the field must be tilled black. As an alternative, discing a number of times through the summer is best. If a site is in an annual crop such as oats, corn or soybeans, a light discing is all that is necessary, unless field was "no-till" drilled, then a heavy discing or chisel plowing followed by discing. In either case, grass waterways and contour strips should be left to minimize erosion. Apply a pre-emergent herbicide in fall or spring for annual grass control. Contact local forester for advice.
Seed collection and storage: Seed collection and storage is often more than a landowner can tackle alone. Knowledge of characteristics of many kinds of seed (ripening times, moisture and storage requirements, etc.) is a must. There are vendors who sell seed from experienced collectors. This is often the best method for landowners to obtain viable, high quality seed. If landowners wish to collect seed on their own, they should contact their local forester for species specific handling and storage advice.
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Native Prairie Grasses


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Grasses
planted
- Big
Bluestem
- Blue Grama
- Canada Wild Rye
- Indiangrass
- Side Oats Grama
- Slender Wheat Grass
- Switchgrass
Prior to European settlement, more than 18 million acres of prairie covered Minnesota. Our prairie lands were part of the largest ecosystem in North America, which stretched from Canada to Mexico and from the Rockies to Indiana. A wealth of diverse species, habitats and cultures thrived here.
With its fertile soil, nutritious grasses and aura of possibility, prairie became the basis for an agricultural empire. It also influenced our sense of national identity.
Today, less than one percent of Minnesota's native prairie remains. The near elimination of native prairie has inspired many efforts to protect remaining parcels.
- - info from Minnesota Department
of Natural Resources

Big Bluestem

Plateau (chemical) spray line

(Showing prairies can be established in one year
with proper weed control)
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Content 6
This is an ariel map of the property that
is being restored.

| Photos |
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Twin
Walnuts, sprouted from logged stump, (logged in 1995). These are
in the North pasture surrounded by native grass/flower planting.

There
were 30 Canadian Geese on the pond while Dennis was mowing.

Looking
Southwest, toward Groski's.
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Jill sorting acorns
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Content 9
Content 10
Content 8
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