The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1920-02-27
TREE PLANTING
ALONG HIGHWAYS

ALONG HIGHWAYS
The following from a quarterly bull
letin of the M. A. C. is worthy care
full perusal.
Many of the roads in the state can
be greatly beautifed by the planting
of trees and the value of adjoining
property increased thereby. While
the state will doubtless ultimately see
that our highways are properly plant
ed, it is often to the advantage of
landowners to plant trees immediate
ly so as to secure early results. An
Act passed by the last session of the
Legislature, Act No. 36 of the Public
Acts Of 1919, authorizes the State
Highway Commissioner and the State
Board of Agriculture to select and
plant ornamental and nut-bearing
trees along highways upon which
state reward has been paid or earn
ed, the trees for planting to be sup
piled by the Agricultural College or
the Public Domain Commission. The
Act provides that in no case shall
such trees be planted except with tho
consent OF the owner of the adjoining
property, and that the Highway Com
missioner shall establish rules and
regulations for the uniform planting
Of trees under the Act. The Act also
provides that any owner of land bord-
ering upon highway upon which
State reward has not been paid may
plant approved ornamental or nut
bearing trees along the line of the
highway and shall receive annually .
credit of five cents upon highway
repair tax for period not to exceed
five years for each tree so planted and
IN good growing condition not less
than six feet high and not less than 20
or more than 40 feet apart.
The Michigan Agricultural College
and the Public Domain Commissions
are authorized to raise trees for
| planting and to sell them at nominal
cost to counties, cities, villages, and
| citizens Of the state for highway
planting and also for planting In
| state parks and other public places.
The Forestry Department Of the
College has sat the present time a
| considerable. number of trees suitable
for this purpose.
Mistakes made in the selection Of.
species of trees for highway planting.
may not be discovered in decade.
In order to make such mistakes less
common and to safeguard the publiv
against errors in spacing of trees ana
selection of species fof. our hiApw1.hs
the following simple principles are
offered.
l. Use only such trees as are, COM
paratively free from destroying in
sects and diseases.
This will eliminate at once such
trees as the black locust, the elm, the
fruit tree, and any others which may
have local enemies.
2. Use trees adapted naturally to
the soil and climate of the locality.
For example, burr oak section
should not have its highways planted
with pine nor should a red pine Sec
ton be planted to burr oaks.
3. Pure planting of one species
should not be used for distances ex-
ceeding one mile.
a. Use trees that are native to the
locality wherever possible. They give
quick results and furnish variety.
5. Along roads that have been en-
tirely denuded of tree growth, plant
temporary and a permanent tree
alternately. An example would be:
The sugar maple for permanent and
the box elder for quick results and
removal later when the sugar maple
had attained useful size.
g.. Space trees on the highway
according to the spread of their
crowns at maturity. Taking the sug-
| ar maple as an example with a spread
of crown of 35 feet from the stem we
see that spacing of less than seven
ty feet will permit the interlacing of
branches, which is not desirable with
highway trees; therefore, safe spae-
ing fo rsugar maple is 85 feet with
trees on the opposite side of the high
way to alternate. A. planter may
determine the safe highway planting
distance for any species by measuring
the crown spread of a fully mature
specimen of that species and adding
ten feet to the result.
In general the soil variation gives
to te highways of Michigan an op-
portunity Of. rare worth for the pro-.
ductiop of a. large variety of trees
and shrubs of highly ornaplental and
utiliarian value. M
a