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Anyone have any idea of what kind of trees would good to plant for use as a firewood and other uses? would rather have something that can handle Wyoming winters and still mature fast. would like to plant maybe 300-400 acres of trees for future use.
I'm sure paper birch would survive the winters there, but how about rainfall? A lot of the best firewood trees (hardwoods) can't handle drought. Silver maple grows quick if it's in a good site. If you have a stream or such silver maple along it will do good. Ash is an option but with emerald ash borer I don't think it's a good choice now.
After maple, oak and birch (whatever varieties grow where you are), fruit and nut trees make great firewood. Unfortunately, hardwoods don't grow too fast. You could plant it to evergreens, like pine. If there's a lot of pitch in your pines out there, you'd get a roaring fire pretty fast. If you need something to grow quickly, poplars will, but make for really poor firewood.
It may be more cost-effective to lease already-grown stands of hardwood to cut, unless you want to plant for the next generation. I am looking into leasing more pasture land for grazing purposes. There's a lot of land here sitting idle, a lot of hands looking for cash.
Anyone have any idea of what kind of trees would good to plant for use as a firewood and other uses? would rather have something that can handle Wyoming winters and still mature fast. would like to plant maybe 300-400 acres of trees for future use.
Can you elaborate on "other uses"? 3-400 acres is a lot of wood.
I burn wood 24/7 for 4-5 months each winter and 10 acres of hardwood is enough to keep me in a lifetime supply. I just had 2/3 of an acre clear-cut. The trees from that alone will provide about 8 years of firewood. I'd suggest 20 acres if you're using an outdoor burner/furnace since they eat a lot of wood.
You'll want a mixed forest. Pines for fast growth and hardwoods for better firewood, but they grow slow.
Hybrid poplars grow really fast. They aren't the best firewood, but you'd have firewood in only a couple of years.
High desert juniper might grow in your area, Growth is moderate, but they don't need to be watered and they burn hot. Pollen causes allergies, so check to make sure you aren't allergic to them.
Anyone have any idea of what kind of trees would good to plant for use as a firewood and other uses? would rather have something that can handle Wyoming winters and still mature fast. would like to plant maybe 300-400 acres of trees for future use.
You can get a good deal of information if you take a trip to Cheyenne and visit the Cheyenne Botanic Gardens. You can also visit the arboretum if you make arrangements. Any tree that survived thirty-three years of only natural precipitation will have a fair chance of survival where you live. New plantings do require water so the amount of irrigation water available is the limit for new plantings. I'd work with the lowest amount that's been available.
I don't believe your proposed project is practical, but if you have the water and are willing to spend the money the results may be interesting. The Wikipedia has information on the arboretum which will be of interest.
Ponderosa pine. Handles drought and dry conditions well, grows relativly fast, makes decent firewood and is a pretty good timber for lumber. Native to the area as well.
Ponderosa is also fire resistant. The thick bark of mature trees doesn't catch fire well from quick moving grass fires, so as long as you have good spacing in your woodlot, while the young trees may go, the mature ones will usually survive unless the fire can ladder up the young trees to the crowns of the mature trees, thus the need for spacing.
Outside of Box Elder, very few hardwoods grow well in dry conditions like eastern Montana or Wyoming. One exception is Russian Olive. Grows pretty rapidly, very hard wood and works well for firewood, tough to get big enough for lumber, but it will grow that big.
Handles dry and drought conditions well, but is a non native tree.
The biggest problem in both Wyoming and Eastern Montana is water. The wind will twist trees and make them useless for lumber, but can still be used for wood, so a large stand where the first lines of trees protect the rest of the lot is a good idea.
Because of the short growng seasons, and sandy soils instead of loams, it can be tough to grow most hardwoods here.
Quaking Aspen are a native to the area, and grow really fast. Pretty good firewood, not worth a hoot as lumber, but they provide protection for young coniferous trees in the wild. One problem is they need quite a bit of water.
Juniper is another native, but not really a lumber or firewood as it takes a long time to grow. Can be used as an aromatic lining for furniture like chests or trunks as some varieties have that strong cedar smell that repels moths and insects, lots of creosote and soot when burned.
If you want producing trees for your lot, and have some water, chokecherry or Service berry are great. If you don't have water, buffaloberry works pretty good and diversifies your lot for wildlife.
Sounds like a good project! Have fun with it and you could have a great stand of timber for wood, lumber and income for a lot of years to come!
The only trees growing in eastern Wyoming are cottonwoods along watercourses. Almost the entire area is below lower treeline. Russian Olive is classed as a noxious weed in Wyoming. The state is working to remove them. I live in a similar area but with hills. The only Ponderosa Pine are at 6500' or above. If people want firewood they buy it or cut it at higher elevations.
This is not the lush east or northwest coast. The plains are arid and windy with little rainfall.
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