I have been contacted by a landowner who would like to add evergreens to his property to create a screen. So far, the pines he has planted are dying faster than he cares to. What is or are the best species of pines or other evergreens for southern, IL

Is there a IL State Nursery? what would be other resources?

Looking forward to your input.

Greetings Sonja:

The best conifers to plant on any given site are of course dependent upon soils and site selection. Therefore, a broad overarching recommendation isn't very helpful unless you have more specific soils and site information.

Therefore, please contact your local USDA NRCS field office to determine the soil types (texture and drainage class) on the property. I would then ask the local USDA NRCS field office if this landowner is eligible for any federal conservation programs. County Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCDs) often have annual tree sales and they are housed in the same building as the local NRCS offices.