Planting Trees for Conservation Purposes

Planting trees is a useful, environmental, and aesthetic way to protect crops, livestock, wildlife, and even your home from heavy winds.  Windbreaks consist of of single or multiple rows of shrubs, grass, or trees.

The Conservation District recommends the Montana Conservation Seedling Nursery to order trees.  For an updated inventory and the current order form click here. The Conservation District is happy to assist with species recommendations, planting plans, irrigation ideas etc.  

Smaller orders that don’t qualify for ordering directly from the State Conservation Nursery may be submitted to the Lewis & Clark County Extension office.  Extension can submit a bulk order to the nursery for landowners and their phone number is 406-447-8346.

Species & Soils

One thing to keep in mind when you’re planning your windbreak, is climate and soils limitations.  Creating Native Landscapes is a booklet that details species for dry climates, trees as well as flowers and grasses.  For basic soils information, USDA’s Web Soil Survey is a good resource.