We recently bought a house;which has a water-sheld (approx. 15 ft. deep and 30 yds. wide) acrosss the back of the lot. The lot is 115 ft. wide. Natural trees, brush and vines are growing in the water-sheld area. I wish to plant ever-green trees in the area to help prevent erosion and provide habitat for birds. Which type of ever- green do you recommend and where could I get the seedlings?

Greetings Marshall:

Like all tree species recommendations, tree selection should be heavily weighted on the basis of your soil texture, soil pH, soil moisture, and other site specific factors (next to a road, house, etc.). Without a little research on the homeowner’s part, an unfortunate result of planting a tree that is not physiologically adapted to the site can inevitably lead to poor tree health and vigor.

With that said, please take a look at the following Web site to assist you in making this decision. Several native conifers you might want to look at include northern white-cedar and eastern white pine.

http://www.urbanext.uiuc.edu/treeselector/

Regarding where to buy the tree, please check your local yellow-pages for a list of nurseries in your area. You can also contact the Illinois Green Industry Association http://www.ina-online.org/

Best of luck!