Quick growing native tree help

[wellies101]

Hi all, help

I work in conservation and look after a site with sandy soils and graze cattle in the fields. However the fields provide very little shelter for the cattle, be it shade or wind/precipitation protection. I need to plant trees in the fields (one or two per field) that will provide year round shelter and are ideally green for the majority of the year, or even evergreen! There is the possibility I could plant a quick growing evergreen and a native quick grower (say a willow) in the same field with a view to cut down the evergreen when the native tree is big enough.

Any thoughts on suitable species would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

[Dorts]

Hi
The sandy soil will cut down your choices a little but as long as you give them a good start I think a mixture of Holly, Scot's Pine, Birch, Sessile Oak and Hawthorn would work extremely well.
Some of the Birch could be coppiced every 3-5 years to keep them low.

The ideal would be to make a group of 3 to 5 of these species in each field.
Tress do not like to be alone when young, they liked to be 'nursed' by other trees, not exposed and alone, otherwise their growth rate will be severely hampered, in fact, if the position is too exposed they may not grow at all.

Fencing is very important for the first 10 - 15 years or so. Hungry cattle, horses etc. will love nothing more but to nibble every shoot within its reach, so leave at least 2m and idealy 3m from the fence to each newly planted tree.
Fences must be very sturdy and well constructed. One broken fence and years of work could be down the drain.

Do not be tempted to plant large specimens, they will never do as well as a 2-3 year old sapling in the long run.
Hope that helps. If you need any thing else don't hesitate to ask.
Dorts.

[davecatt]

A hedge around the field would provide some shelter once established and I would suggest planting your trees in each corner of the field. However,you need to consider providing a man made shelter in the meantime, no tree species will grow fast enough to provide adequate shelter for several years to come. As long as you dont have stock on the land during the most severe winter months,say December to early March, then your main concern should be shelter from hot sun and driving rain, so a roof and a couple of wooden walls should be enough.

Dave