End of 2016 growing season

Now available in Russian.

2016 was a busy year.  In this post I will summarize the entire year of happenings. In addition to the sequoia and other tree events I will also describe what all happened on the land where the Sequoia park is being built.

Part 1. The trees

First, the very high level information on the trees:

The total of about 150 seedlings of various tree species spread around 3 acres of hilly land in Eastern Iowa. The location is close to the highest point in Johnson county but with ample supply of water due to the runoff from a pond located a few hundred feet from the park and a creek that runs from that pond through the park.

Out of 150 seedlings, about 50 are sequoias aged from one year to a little over four years. The rest are a mix of ponderosa pine (30), oriental spruce (25), Serbian spruce (12), fraser fir (10), balsam fir (6), Austrian pine (6), bаld cypress (4), Norway spruce (3), red cedar (2), tuja plicata (1). There are also half a dozen small seedlings that look like pine and a couple more that are most likely hemlock as well as a few more sequoias in tiny containers but they are all in a very poor shape.

Out of about two hundred 2016 newly germinated sequoia seedlings about 30 are surviving going into the winter. They range from 1 inch to 10 inches with majority in 3-5 inch category.

Three 4-year old sequoias perished this year. One due to the mechanical root damage (#15) by a critter, one (#38) due to the fungus that spread uncontrollably and one (#24) that turned bright orange for an unknown reason. None of the 3- and 2- year old sequoias died due to summer exposure except the ones that went into the last winter period in a poor shape and did not recover in spring. The largest 5-year old #38 is considered dead but there is a tiny sliver of hope that it will recover in spring since it still has a small green top, albeit with the black dots of disease. For this reason it is not removed from the ground till then.

Growth table for end of 2016 growing season (Click to view full table)

The tallest surviving sequoia (besides tall bud dead #38) is #33, standing at almost 46 inches:

#33 October 29, 2016. 4 years old

It had significant damage at the lower branches due to the same condition as the perished #38. However, the fungus did not spread as aggressively and I was able to catch it in time with some Clorotholanil. Percentage-wise it was in the middle of the pack at 43%.

The winners in the percent category were two there-year old seedlings, #212 and #222, both at 157%. #212 added absolute record of 22", reaching 36". #222 started the year only 6.5" tall and ended the year at 16.75". Both "lost" some height in the last measurement due to replanting to the permanent location and placement of the reference pin.

All sequoias will be protected from the wind this upcoming winter similar to the last year method. The ones that are larger than 2 feet tall will have metal posts with burlap around them and the smaller ones will have foam cones.

Placing burlap around larger sequoias

Part 2. The park

This is a summary of the construction project around the sequoia park.

Update on the map, version 1.1:

Area zoomed on the trees:

The salmon colored area was cleared of trees. Darker gray is the road accessible by a small tractor. Light gray is a walking trail. Individual giant sequoias are marked with a circle with a number inside. Numbers correspond to the ones listed in the height table. Other miscellaneous trees are marked on the maps as well. Nursery area is the place for very young trees in small containers. The stream is in blue.

The forrest was cut and mostly burnt in place:

Clearing a patch for future park site, Spring/Summer 2016

The access road (darker gray) is made of the large gravel on the steeper slopes and just a dirt road on flat parts. Parts of the steep slopes had to be reinforced with 1-2 foot large stone to slow down the erosion:

Gravel road with reinforcement, November 2016

The (lighter gray) trail on the map picture above is made of small gravel in the open areas and without gravel inside the woods.

A John Deere Gator was heavily used in the construction of the side walks and various irrigation channels. Summer 2016

In the woods there is enough old leaves and other litter making them not muddy during rain.

A few dozen steps were built this past summer and autumn to make it more passable during winter:

Making steps on the trail, 2016

Some steeper slopes had both steps added and gravel with reinforcement with cedar:

Finally, in one place with extreme drop a half-bridge was built with concrete pillars to allow passage:

Finished reinforcement bridge. Note, that a friend of mine had no difficulty keeping his pristine shoes and clothes clear of mud while accessing one of the deepest parts of the trail. September 2016. 

A small bridge over the stream was built in the Fall of 2015. Without such a bridge it was very difficult to get across, especially when it was wet. Climbing into the stream ditch was quite unpleasant.

Bridge over the stream, built in the Fall of 2015.

Conclusion

The project is going strong. More sequoias will be germinated in the upcoming winter. New species of conifers will be sought out and planted next year. Once the construction of the house is done then more trees will go around the land to complete the one-of-a-kind sequoia park in the US Midwest.

Appendix 

Need to record Nursery trees: