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The Camas Soil Conservation District is located in the south central area of
Idaho on a high prairie just fifteen miles wide and thirty miles long at an elevation of just over five thousand feet. While
it has an agricultural based economy, the county boasts of an excellent downhill ski area and various winter and summer recreation
opportunities. The Prairie is watered by many small streams and creeks,
most of which drain into Camas Creek which eventually flows into Magic Reservoir which is responsible for irrigating many
thousands of acres of cropland. It is the sediment being transported by the streams into Magic Reservoir that is currently
the main thrust of the Camas Soil Conservation District activities. The
history of the Camas Soil Conservation District illustrates how people have a developed a new way of thinking about natural
resources since the District was formed in 1957. It is an ironic history because today the Camas SCD's top priority is of
correcting a problem it helped create years ago when landowners, with government approval and support, straightened many stretches
of streams and removed willows from the streambanks to gain cropland, The resulting erosion changed the course of not just
the creeks, but of the Camas Soil Conservation District.
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Thursday, April 28, 2011
LASt DAy to BuY TreEs!
If you haven't ordered your trees yet, today
will be the last day we are accepting orders! call Kaylin at 764-3223 to order today!
1:12 pm edt
Thursday, April 14, 2011
 Sandhill Cranes dancing on Soldier Creek
(maybe because
the SUN was shining!!?)
8:15 pm edt
TREE OF THE WEEK!Blue Spruce Blue spruce is a medium-sized evergreen tree growing to 25–30 m (82–98 ft) tall, exceptionally to 46 m (151 ft) tall, and with a
trunk diameter of up to 1.5 m (4 ft 11 in). The bark is thin and gray, with narrow vertical furrows. The crown is conic in young trees, becoming cylindric in older
trees. The shoots are stout, orange-brown, usually glabrous, and with prominent pulvini. The leaves are needle-like, 15–30 millimetres (0.59–1.2 in) long, stout, rhombic in cross-section, dull gray-green
to bright glaucous blue (very variable from tree to tree in wild populations), with several lines of stomata; the tip is viciously sharp.The cones are pendulous, slender cylindrical, 6–11 cm (2.4–4.3 in) long and 2 cm (0.79 in) broad
when closed, opening to 4 cm (1.6 in) broad. They have thin, flexible scales 20–24 mm (0.79–0.94 in)
long, with a wavy margin. They are reddish to violet, maturing pale brown 5–7 months after pollination. The seeds are black, 3–4 mm (0.12–0.16 in) long, with a slender, 10–13 mm (0.39–0.51 in) long
pale brown wing.
GREEN SPRUCE
Formlarge evergreen specimen tree maturing at 50' tall by 20' wide as a general rule, but cultivars
are often smaller, and the species form in the wild will grow much larger - upright pyramidal
growth habit in youth and often maintaining this form through maturity, but sometimes with age becoming conical with the lower
branches drooping
- arrangement of the natural branching of this pyramidal tree (without early
shearing for increased density) varies from irregular, open, and very bold, to distinctly and beautifully layered, to dense
and merging as if a solid unit
- slow growth rate
Culture full sun to partial sun - prefers a moist,
acidic, well-drained soil in full sun, but can tolerate many adverse conditions, including dry soils, soils of various pH,
and Winter salt spray
- usually propagated by grafting cultivar cuttings onto seedling understock,
but selected species forms are also propagated by seeds, for use as less expensive trees of mixed foliage color or as rootstock
for grafting
- Pine Family, with several pests, of which spider mites are the worst, causing
an overall decline in the new growth during mid-Summer, and several diseases, of which needle cast and trunk canker are the
worst
- abundantly available, primarily in ball and burlap form but increasingly in container
form
- Blue Spruce is sometimes not sheared at the nursery in youth, since it is naturally dense
even at a young age, but it is often lightly sheared to promote even more fullness at transplant age
- an annual spray program for spider mites might be implemented in landscapes where Blue Spruce is either of specimen
quality and age, or is planted in sufficient numbers in close proximity to warrant this annual financial investment
- Blue Spruce is somewhat tolerant of Winter salt spray, with green-foliaged forms being less tolerant (since they
have less coating of needle wax) than blue or blue-silver forms
Foliage evergreen needles to 1.25" long, very stiff and sharp, uniformly
distributed around the stem, radiating perpendicular to the stem for a prickly effect and therefore painful to grasp with
a bare hand, or to manuever at transplanting without the advantage of supplemental gloves --variants
almost always have intense blue or silvery-blue foliage that is especially vibrant on new growth Flowers
ornamentally inconspicuous, concentrated in the upper one-third of mature trees, monoecious, with staminate
flowers orange and in the leaf axils, and pistillate flowers green or pink-purple and on the stem termini Fruits straight cones grow to about 3"
long and are light green when immature, become brown or tan with maturity, and abscisce slowly from the ends of branches in
the upper canopy Twigs young
twigs are light green to light blue and may emerge semi-pendulous, becoming straight and stiff by Summer - seasoned twigs are light brown with an orange cast, with raised needle scars on the older stems that have defoliated
their needles
Trunk thick
gray scales with age are often hidden by the lower branches and foliage, unless the tree is limbed up
7:37 pm edt
Thursday, April 7, 2011
~~Tree of the Week~~Everybody's Favorite: The Quaking Aspen
Camas County has many diverse and unique soil types. One thing that seems to grow about anywhere is the Quaking Aspen. It thrives creek-side and in glens and high valleys. (Zones 1-7) It does well in yard landscapes and
provides excellent summer shade, and to say the least--it's a quick growing easy keeper that can reach up to 50+ feet!
INFORMATION LINK
Quaking aspen is valued for its white bark and brilliant fall color, especially when clustered. The
species been widely used in landscaping but is best in sites away from structures that might be damaged by the aggressive
roots. The trees provide good visual screening and noise abatement.
Aspen stands are good firebreaks, often dropping crown fires in conifer
stands to the ground when they reach aspens and even sometimes extinguishing the fire because of the small amount of flammable
accumulation. They allow more ground water recharge than do conifer forests and they also play a significant role in protecting
against soil erosion. They have been used in restoration of riparian habitats. Wildlife: Young quaking aspen provides
food and habitat for a variety of wildlife: black bear, deer, beaver, porcupine, elk, moose, ruffed grouse and many smaller
birds and animals, including small mammals such as mice, voles, shrews, chipmunks, and rabbits. Bark, buds, new sprouts, twigs
from the tops of fallen or logged trees, and fallen leaves all are wildlife foods. Ethnobotanic: Native Americans used Populus bark (including aspen) as a food source. They cut the inner bark into strips, dried and ground it into meal to be
mixed with other starches for bread or mush. Catkins were eaten raw, and the cambium was eaten raw or in a soup.
Click
HERE for even more information on the beautiful Quaking Aspen
ORDER TODAY...quantities are limited. email camasscd@yahoo.com for an order form, or stop by our OFFICE at 403 Soldier Road. (south entrance to Strickland Realty building), or feel free
to call 208-764-3223.
2:11 pm edt
The Camas Soil Conservation District will be holding their regular board meeting April
19, 2011 at 5:00 p.m. at their office 403 Soldier Rd. Fairfield, ID. For more information, please call 764-3223.
12:36 pm edt
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Office Hours: Tuesday--Thursday 9:30-2:00 Telephone: 208-764-3223 Fax: 208-764-3223 email: camasscd@yahoo.com
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