About Those Old Canes

The old canes are set out to dry naturally in a covered barn through the winter. Come springtime they will become anchors to hold the tree cages in place around the newly planted cedar trees along with 4 ft. bamboo stakes.
Once the tree is planted and the cage placed around it with the bamboo stakes holding it upright, the shorter raspberry canes will be  stuck in at an angle through the bottom of the mesh and into the dirt around the tree. The canes will make it a little tougher for the elk by adding resistance when they try  removing the cages and hopefully will spare them all from becoming treats for the roaming herds.
We are hoping the resistance is enough to protect the seedlings for at least the first year of being planted into the forest. The dried canes will decompose within a year or two leaving no residue that needs to be cleaned up later.