Green Horizons
Volume 12, Number 2
Spring 2008
Redcedar: From Invasion to Innovation
Michelle Hall, MU Center for Agroforestry
Eastern redcedar is the most widely distributed tree-sized conifer in
the eastern United States, although its many industrial uses are not
widely known and it is considered an invasive weed tree in many
regions of the country. But new research at the University of Missouri
Center for Agroforestry could help redcedar go from “trash to cash”
for landowners.
Chung-Ho Lin, research assistant professor of forestry
with the Center for Agroforestry, has found redcedar
leaves and fruit to have compounds that may help to
fight bacteria, fungi, agricultural pests and weeds, malaria,
and the production of melanin, which can help skin
have a more youthful appearance and even prevent skin cancer.
Lin said he has spoken with landowners who have acres
and acres of redcedar but no idea what to do with it. He
is working to change that common problem.
"This could provide an incentive for people to leave
these trees on their land, where they can be beneficial to
the environment, by preventing stream bank erosion, for environment,
by preventing stream bank erosion, for
example." Lin said. "Since redcedar spreads so rapidly,
landowners can cut their trees for the wood, leaves and
fruit without concern about the future of the species."
Lin and students Mark Hymbaugh, MU senior in biochemistry,
and Amber Spohn, senior in environmental geology, studied the fruit,
leaves, branches, roots, sawdust, oil, resin and bark of the 10
redcedar, to determine which parts might have beneficial compounds. They
extracted compounds from each tree part and then tested these
compounds on bacteria, fungi, weeds and melanin to see if
growth was inhibited. Chemical compounds found in the leaves
and fruit had the most promising results, although levels of activity
varied. Now, the potent compounds in the extracts showing
high bioactivities will be further isolated and purified for chemical
characterization. Ninety-five percent purity is needed to confirm
that the chemicals identified are useful for the pharmaceutical
and cosmetic industries, Lin said.
"Every chemical has a 'fingerprint,'" Lin said. "We use
the fingerprint of the unknown compound and compare it
to known chemical fingerprints in an existing database."
At least two antibacterial chemicals in the redcedar
needles (leaves) have been isolated; these chemicals are
similar to others that have proven effective against a
wide range of bacteria. In addition, other chemicals have
shown promising inhibitory effects on melanin development
and tyrosinase activity. This means they have great
potential for skin care application for preventing and
healing pigmentation after sunburn, freckles, liver spots,
etc. Best of all, this class of chemicals has been proven
to be very safe for external skin application.
"Value-added phytochemical products from eastern
redcedar have the potential to create new industries in
regions such as Missouri with an abundant redcedar
resource," Lin said.
Mike Gold, professor and associate director of the Center
for Agroforestry, said the goal of the Center is to help
landowners around the state and country get the most from their land.
Through agroforestry practices such as riparian forest buffers,
windbreaks, silvopasture, forest farming and alley cropping, landowners
diversify products, markets and farm income; improve soil
and water quality; and reduce erosion, non-point source
pollution and damage due to flooding.
"The Center is interested in finding uses for redcedar, an
abundant Missouri resource. These trees have been classi
fied as a weed, yet are extremely common in this state. Looking to
find productive uses from the beneficial compounds in redcedar
will help create additional markets for the trees, where
none existed previously," Gold said.
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Forest from the Trees: A Missouri Tree Farm is Born
Dave Murphy, Missouri Conservation Federation
Our 376-acre farm in Northeast Missouri has 240acres of forest. It’s a
sizeable tract for Clark County,but a miniscule part of Missouri’s
14-plus millionacres of forest. I am always amazed by the fact that
although most of Missouri’s forest is in private ownership,
a mere 5 percent or so is under planned management.
One reason for this may be that we have more than
350,000 forest landowners in Missouri. Doing the math
works out to less than 50 acres of forest per landowner.
Not what most of us would 8
consider "worth fooling with" as an enterprise, I suppose.
There is also the consideration that some folks
think anything to do with forest management won’t pay
or that harvesting timber is bad.
It further appears to me that many folks simply are not
aware that options exist and are readily available to
landowners in Missouri who want to better manage their
forests.
To my family and me, this farm is a very, very special
place. It was my grandfather’s farm. My dad was raised
there. It is where we learned to hunt. For generations,
this land has provided fuel for heating, lumber for building,
game for food and recreation, a garden for family
food, and agricultural crops for income. With the passing
of my grandparents, dad wound up with responsibility
for this farm as well as the farm he and mom own and
operate. Eventually, desires of our extended family required
us to take action. My wife and I followed through
with a long series of negotiations and transactions to buy
the farm.
We are not a family of exceptional wealth, so owning the
farm as a purely recreational property was not an option.
We dove right into ownership, fully aware that responsible
financial management of all parts of the farm was
mandatory. Where to begin?
We began by seeking the best advice available to us.
Such advice is available to all, by the way. We began
with a complete inventory of the forest, which served as
the foundation upon which our forest management plan
is based. We hired consulting foresters to conduct the inventory,
map the stands by soil type, aspect and species
composition, and to draw up the management plan.
We decided on the objective of a productive, healthy and
sustainable forest. We decided to emphasize both quality
of timber production and abundance of wild turkeys as
guiding considerations for the plan.
Amazingly to me, this inventory and plan development
was accomplished in weeks, not months. The investment
we made in planning has proven many times over to be
our second best investment so far. Second best, that is, to
buying the farm in the first place.
So we began with a plan. If you are about to buy land,
you should do the same. If you already own forest, but
have no formal plan, we encourage you to get one developed.
If you are among that tiny minority who already
own forest and have a plan...well, dust it off, re-read it
and see how things are progressing. Any plan is only as
effective as its implementation.
The estimates of the positive benefits of bringing more
of Missouri’s forests under management are staggering.
BILLIONS in revenue every year. THOUSANDS
of additional jobs statewide. Our forest industry already
pumps over $4 billion each year into the Missouri
economy.
Imagine the huge benefits of bringing best management
practices to more of our forests. Imagine the increased
food and cover available to wildlife. Imagine the improved
quality and quantity of timber production. Imagine
the enhanced protection of watersheds and water supplies.
Imagine the bene?ts of protection from invasive
plants, animals, diseases and insects. These are just a
few of my reasons for bringing our forest under management find your own and get a plan!
Editor’s Note: Dave Murphy is the Executive Director
of the Missouri Conservation Federation and in October
2007, he became a Tree Farmer. Dave has graciously
allowed us to reprint a series of articles he is writing for
the Federation’s bimonthly magazine, Missouri Wildlife,
recounting why and how this came about.
*********************************************************************
‘Tree Tags’ Translate Woody Benefits into Real Dollars
Angela Schreffler, Heartland Tree Alliance; Helene Miller,
Missouri Department of Conservation; and Stephanie Williams, Mid-America
Regional Council
How much is a single treeworth to a community? In
some cases, more than $70,000,local experts say.
In honor of Arbor Day, "tree tags,"price tags that quantify in dollars
the benefits of trees, temporarily adorned some of Greater Kansas
City’s trees. One hundred tags were placed around the Greater
Kansas City metro area as communities celebrated Arbor Day.
Missouri’s Arbor Day was April 4; Kansas’ Arbor Day was April 25.
The purpose of the tree price tag project was to make people
aware of the many benefits that trees provide to cities in terms of
stormwater reduction, improved air quality, higher real estate values
(and property tax receipts), carbon storage, and energy savings. The tree
tags show a dollar value for the services provided by that
tree over its projected lifetime. While trees are beautiful,
they are also a vital part of the metro’s infrastructure,
providing many benefits. They need maintenance and
care. This is not a nice extra in city budgets; it is vital
maintenance that actually saves cities money in the long
run. Trees don’t cost us money - trees pay us back many
times over.
The dollar amounts attached to each tree were based on
its estimated returns to the community, including reducing
stormwater runoff, improving air quality, raising real
estate values and more. The amounts were calculated by
the unique life span, species and condition of each tree.
Some of the heftier price tags include burr oaks in several
locations across the region that will provide benefits
worth well over $50,000 per tree. The majority of the
values ranged from $1,000 to $30,000.
Tall-growing shade trees such as oaks, maples, gingko,
baldcypress and others provide many more benefits than
short growing trees such as the crabapples, pears and
redbuds. This is for two reasons: the taller trees have more impact on
the environment with more shade, more carbon stored, and more leaf and
root area to hold stormwater. The shade trees also tend to live much
longer than smaller trees - 70- 200+ years when cared for vs. 30
years for the smaller trees.
The tags were installed in Kansas City, Mo.; Gladstone, Mo.; Liberty,
Mo.; Overland Park, Kan.; Westwood, Kan.; Olathe, Kan.;
Mission, Kan.; and Wyandotte County, Kan. More information,
along with a complete list of where the tags can be found, is
available online at www.heartlandtreealliance.org
Here’s more information about
the value of the trees in the Kansas City metro area:
- The city of Kansas City, Missouri’s 415,000 trees
inventoried return $51 million in benefits annually to
the city, which is $123 per tree per year.
- The city of Westwood’s 1,915 trees inventoried return
$274,410 in benefits annually to the city, which
is $143 per tree per year.
- The city of Liberty, Missouri’s 741 trees inventoried
return $52,374 in benefits annually to the city, which
is $70 per tree per year. Liberty’s tree value is lower
than other cities because many of the trees were
damaged by a tornado.
- The city of North Kansas City’s 1,808 trees inventoried
return $345,441 in benefits annually to the city,
which is $191 per tree per year.
Coordinating partners of the effort include the Mid-
America Regional Council, Heartland Tree Alliance,
Kansas Forest Service, Missouri Department of Conservation
and Arborist Bob Haines.
Additional information on the benefits of trees can be
found at: TreeLink: www.treelink.org;
Louisiana Public Broadcasting: www.lpb.org/programs/forest/chicago.
html; National Arbor Day Foundation: www.arborday.
org
*********************************************************************
Show Me Energy Can ‘Show’ Wood-to-Energy Projects the Way
Hank Stelzer, MU Forestry Extension (quotes from ‘Co-op turns feedstock
into energy’ by Mindy Ward, Missouri Farmer Today)
Various communities in Missouri are beginning to
explore wood-to-energy projects. While wood chips
will play a small part in Show Me Energy’s cellulosic
energy game plan, the company’s holistic, community-
and producer-based strategy serves as a good model for
forest-based energy projects.
Show Me Energy Cooperative began as little more than
an idea in the mind of Steve Flick. As a seed company
owner, (Flick Seed of Kingsville, Mo.) Steve was concerned
about the amount of grass seed hulls he was forced to dispose of
on an annual basis.
In his case, disposal meant burying, burning, adding them to a sanitary
dump site, or simply distributing them over a landscaped area. Each
solution had its particular costs and negative aspects. Steve began to
wonder if there might not be a better solution that would actually turn his
"residue" into some sort of viable product.
Steve’s vision was to establish an innovative and profitable
model for production of biomass-based fuels which
could be replicated across the country by small producer-
owned cooperatives. These co-ops would provide
a positive economic impact on the regions where they
were located.
Show Me Energy is developing its Centerview, Mo., site
in three phases.
The first phase, which is nearing completion, will convert
cornstalks, grass straw, wheat and oat straw, milo stubble and soybean
stubble into pellets. These pelletswill then be sold to Kansas City Power
and Light where they will be co-fired with their current feedstock of coal
for the production of electricity. It’s a win-win situation
for both groups. Kansas City Power and Light earns
Renewable Energy Credits (RECs) from the EPA for
burning a renewable resource and Show Me Energy has
a ready buyer for its pellets.
Phase Two will be a gasifier to convert cellulose into ethanol. A European
modulated cellulosic fuel model, the plant will generate
roughly six to eight million gallons of ethanol per year. "It is small, but
we can grow with it." The gasifier model is more versatile because it allows
for more source variety. "We can take in 17 different kinds of input," Flick
says. "We are not just married to a grain-based system."
The final phase will be
producing electricity from
by-products of the gasification process. "What we
will do is take the hydrogen by-products and scrub it,
pressurize it and generate about 12 megawatts of electricity;
enough to run the plant and sell the excess," he
adds. Utility plants have expressed interest in purchasing the green energy.
Co-op members lie within a 22-county area that includes
Show Me Energy’s home county of Jackson. Wanting
to appeal to the average farmer, the group had a modest
entry fee. Membership requirements were $2,500
per share with a two-share minimum. Much like grain
ethanol plants, members have the right to sell the product
to the plant. He says what "sold the cooperative" was the
project brought small farmers and large farmers together
in unified effort. "We made it so everybody could be involved."
Every dollar invested equates to five pounds of biomass.
So, a producer who invests $5,000 has the right to sell
25,000 pounds of biomass or 25 big round bales of biomass to the plant.
Because biomass content varies, the co-op came up with
three criteria for purchasing. "We buy based on moisture,
Btu, and weight," Flick explains. "That is the fairest way."
"There is a tidal wave coming to this country," Flick
says. "It is going to hit us so fast, and we need to be
ready." He says the revolution coming to rural communities
across the country will change today’s farming dynamics.
"They are now going to be farming for fuel benefits."
"If we can do it in the middle of the country, there is no
reason why other communities throughout this country
could not do it based on this model," he adds.
"They are now going to be farming for fuel benefits."
"If we can do it in the middle of the country, there is no
reason why other communities throughout this country
could not do it based on this model," he adds.
Show Me Energy’s motto, "Creating Energy Today for
America’s Tomorrows," says it all.
*********************************************************************
Online Tool Available for Identifying and Selecting Black Walnut
Cultivars
Michele R. Warmund and Mark V. Coggeshall, MU Division of Plant Sciences
and Center for Agroforestry
Black walnuts (Juglans nigra L.) are valued for their uniquely
fruity flavor and are often used as an ingredient in baked goods and
ice cream or are eaten as a snack food. Although black walnuts
can be harvested from wild trees, several cultivars have been selected
for such characteristics as ease of cracking, size of kernel and thickness
of husks and shells. Other characteristics, such as date of budbreak,
time of flowering, length of season and date of harvest, are also important
as there is considerable variation within the species.
The University of Missouri Horticulture and
Agroforestry Research Center (New Franklin, Mo.)
maintains a repository of more than 40 named cultivars
of black walnut valued for their kernels (rather than timber).
The identities of each of these cultivars have been
Bollinger County confirmed by "DNA fingerprinting."
Cultivars maintained in the repository are used in a breeding program
focusing on nut improvement.
This information is now available online
(http://extension.missouri.edu/explore/
miscpubs/xm1001.htm) to help walnut growers identify walnut
cultivars by the appearance of the husk, shell and kernel and to select
cultivars on the basis of various growth characteristics.
In addition to a photo gallery of black walnuts, the Web
site lists the average date of budbreak, flower type,
bloom period, pollination date, season length and harvest
date for more than 40 black walnut cultivars. Data were
collected over a four-year period, from 2002 to 2006, at
New Franklin, Mo.; dates re?ect the growing season in
central Missouri and should be adjusted for other regions.
*********************************************************************
Preserving the Family Forest: A Request from the Authors
It has been a year now since David and I have been
writing a series of articles on estate planning for the
woodland owner entitled “Preserving the Family Forest.”
We hope that these articles have been informative for
you and your families.
We have covered general topics such as:
- Developing a vision statement to help guide complex
and difficult decisions.
- Deciding which specialists you need when designing
an estate plan to ensure your wishes and desires are
in place when it comes time to pass the forest on to
your heirs.
- Communicating with your heirs on your desires for
the property at your death.
- Introducing your estate team to the heirs.
Each of these topics has been written as purely hypothetical
and general in nature.
While these articles may be interesting and informative,
we feel GH readers would be able to relate better to real live examples
of estate plans in progress. For that reason,
we are soliciting volunteer woodland owners that recognize
they have a need to plan for the transfer of their
forest and estate in a tax efficient manner and according
to their wishes. It’s not every day you can get the professional
services of a Certified Financial Planner or Chartered
Financial Consultant/Chartered Life Underwriter
on an estate plan at no cost.
Confidentiality will be maintained at all times and any
study appearing in GH will simply be referred to as Case
Study #1, 2, 3, etc. If you wish to participate, please
contact either Kirk or David at their respective addressbelow:
Kirk Fine, Senior Financial Advisor
Waddell & Reed Financial Services
3000 Brooktree Ln, Ste 110
Gladstone, MO 64119
(800) 290-1608
eichenwaldfarms@aol.com
David Watson, CLU, ChFC, RHU, REBC
D.A. Watson & Company
17263 Wild Horse Creek Rd.
Suite 202
Chesterfield, MO 63005
(636) 230-3900
david@dawatsonco.com
You can also speak with Hank, Kirk or David at the rescheduled
Woodland Owners Conference in June.
*********************************************************************
MOWOC Rescheduled for June
The bad news is that the weather didn’t cooperate
the first time around. The good news is that
you didn’t miss the 2008 Missouri Woodland
Owners Conference, or MOWOC. Yes, the conference
has been rescheduled, from Feb. 22-23,
to June 20-21, 2008, at the Marriott Courtyard
Hotel here in Columbia.
Registration for the Saturday conference is $50
per person and $90 with spouse/guest. Registration
for the Friday Field Day is an additional
$15 per person and will be limited to the first
125 individuals who sign up.
A special conference rate of $79 (plus tax) is
available at the Marriott Courtyard; reserve your
room by calling (573) 443-8000 before June 1 to
guarantee accommodations.
You can register for the conference online at
http://moforest.org or by calling Glenda at (573)
634-3252. Those who registered before the
February date should have received a letter.
*********************************************************************
Ties to the Land: Online Tool to
Help Preserve Family Forest
Millions of acres of family-owned forest land will change
hands in the U.S. within the next decade. Most of these
transfers will happen with virtually no planning. That is
why we asked David and Kirk to help us help you.
Oregon State University has developed a program, "Ties
to the Land," so successful it is now available nationwide.
Go to
http://www.familybusinessonline.org/resources/
and click on "Ties to the Land: Your Family Forest Heritage."
*********************************************************************
The Carbon Corner:
Managed Forest Carbon Projects
Hank Stelzer, MU Forestry Extension
Editors’ Note: Since our first article on carbon credits, we have come
to realize that this is a rapidly evolving and ever-changing opportunity
for forestland owners. While we realize that some question the ecological
value of carbon trading, our intent is one of providing the latest
information so our readers can make informed decisions. With this in
mind, the "Carbon Corner" has become a regular feature. We welcome
speci?c questions from landowners wishing to learn more about
becoming players in this emerging market.
This past December, the Chicago Climate Exchange
(CCX) formally released procedures for enrolling
managed forests in the Exchange’s "Managed Forest
Carbon Project." As with any new program, while “formal”
procedures have been established, the interpretation
of those procedures remains a work in progress. Also,
anyone who has ever written rules for anything knows
that exceptions and special cases invariably crop up,
sometimes even before the ink dries! This is especially
true with managed forest carbon projects.
So why bother GH readers at this point in time with
something that is still evolving?
Well, because these projects are signed contracts and
aggregators are beginning to solicit participation in this
carbon offset, we want to make sure that forest landowners
(1) are aware of the opportunity, (2) knowledgeable
of the procedures, and (3) understand the responsibilities
of all parties before they sign on the dotted line.
So, not to favor any one aggregator, here is some information
straight from the CCX Web site (see link at end
of article) regarding managed forest carbon projects. As
the dust settles, we will provide GH readers with procedural
clarifications, examples of approved projects and
any payouts to landowners as they become available.
What is a CCX Managed Forest Carbon Project?
This project type employs active forest management
including silvicultural treatments, thinning and harvesting.
Under the managed forest offsets program, eligible
projects may earn offsets for the net annual carbon sequestered
from growth in registered forest stocks.
What forest carbon pools are eligible for crediting under
the managed forest program and how are forest carbon
stocks quantified?
The protocol allows offset issuance for above ground
biomass and below ground biomass portions of the registered
forest carbon pool. In order for offsets to be issued,
net growth in forest carbon stocks must be quantified
using a CCX approved quantification technique. These
techniques include use of approved biophysical growth
and yield modeling techniques.
What is the role of the CCX Committee on Forestry?
The CCX Forestry Committee, comprised of forestry
experts from the CCX Membership, is responsible for
reviewing forest offset project proposals and recommending
approval. The Committee is also responsible
for recommending interpretations of rules relating to
quantification of forest carbon stocks, as well as recommending
additional methods to be employed to quantify
and verify changes in forest carbon stocks. All managed
forest project proposals must be submitted to the CCX
Forestry Committee for approval. Project proposals
should provide pertinent information regarding project
design and inventory, sampling, forest management and
quantification techniques.
How do project participants demonstrate long-term
commitment to maintain enrolled land under forestry?
Project participants must sign a contract attesting that
the land will be maintained as forest for at least 15 years
from the date of enrollment in CCX. In addition, all participants
are required to sign a letter of good faith stating
that they will maintain enrolled land in forest beyond
the 15 year contract period required by the program. A
sample copy of this letter may be requested from CCX.
What evidence of sustainable forest management is
required?
Project participants must provide evidence that all of the
registered forest land is sustainably managed through
certification from agencies or schemes endorsed by the
Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification
schemes (PEFC) Council or through other certification
schemes that have been approved by the CCX. Approved
certification schemes for the United States include Forest
Stewardship Council (FSC), Sustainable Forestry
Initiative (SFI) and American Tree Farm System Group
Certification.
How do CCX rules address the loss of carbon due to
catastrophic events such as hurricanes or forest?
All CCX eligible soil and forestry offset projects are
required to maintain a carbon reserve pool to manage
risks including losses from catastrophic events. Twenty
percent of the CCX CFI contracts generated annually by
the project will be placed in the reserve pool. A forest
carbon reserve pool is established for each pool registered
by an aggregator or individual projects from offset
providers. At the end of the CCX market period, CCX
CFI contracts remaining in the forest reserve pool will be
released back to the participants. The maximum catastrophic
loss recognized by CCX will be no greater than
the amount of offsets in the reserve pool at the time of
annual environmental compliance.
Can I acquire and enroll new forest land in the project or
dispose of enrolled land from the project?
CCX forestry program rules are structured so as not to
restrict participants from land acquisition or disposition.
On an annual basis, the quantification of changes in
forest carbon stocks will be adjusted to reflect acquisitions
or dispositions. When eligible new land is acquired,
the project owner may be eligible for issuance of CCX
CFI contracts corresponding to sequestration in the new
enrolled acres. When enrolled land is disposed, the total
CCX CFI contracts issued from that parcel of land has
to be surrendered back to CCX. Under certain circumstances
when land disposed by one project participant
continues to remain enrolled in the CCX program, surrender
of CCX CFI contracts from previous years may
be warranted.
What is an Offset Aggregator?
An Offset Aggregator is a CCX-registered entity that serves as an administrative and trading representative
on behalf of multiple project owners. Individual projects
which may not generate enough offsets to overcome
administrative costs may find it advantageous to work
with an Aggregator in bringing a project to CCX. Aggregators
are responsible for interacting with CCX, explaining
CCX rules and requirements to project owners and
coordinating with CCX approved verifiers. In addition,
Aggregators are responsible for trading activities and the
maintenance of the Registry Account. Individual landowners
are encouraged to contact Aggregators directly,
as the contracts are signed directly between those parties.
Aggregators, with links to their respective Web sites, are
listed on the CCX Web site at: www.theccx.com/content.
jsf?id=64
What are the verification requirements?
Managed forest projects require an annual verification
through a CCX-approved forestry verification firm. The
annual verification process aims at verifying the validity
of the forest carbon stock baselines including baseline
adjustments, validity of the database, accuracy of data
collection, applicability, correct use of forest carbon
quantification techniques employed and accuracy of carbon
calculations. The costs for the verification are borne
by the registered CCX Offset Provider or Aggregator.
A complete list of approved veri?ers is available on the
web at: http://www.chicagoclimateexchange.com/content.
jsf?id=102
*********************************************************************
Specific Activity in Missouri
Tatanka Resources, LLC (a registered CCX aggregator)
has finalized composition of their pool
of aggregated small forestry project landowners.
Winrock International (an approved CCX
verifier) is currently finishing the stratification
and sampling design and they will be sampling
10 percent of all acres in the pool, including
taking samples to estimate soil carbon sequestration.
It is expected that Winrock will be taking
field samples in May and the sale of credits will
occur shortly thereafter.
*********************************************************************
The Bid Box
(All volumes reported in Doyle Scale)
Bollinger County
* 52 acres
* 442 mixed hardwoods (mostly white oak,
black oak, yellow poplar, and hickory, etc.)
* Estimated volume: 89,181 bd.ft.
* Forester valued the sale at $29,000
* 7 bids
* $35,255
* $34,125
* $27,300
* $27,261
* $25,300
* $23,150
* $23,000
* Return: $678 per acre
Bollinger County
* 70 acres
* 463 mixed hardwoods (mostly black oak,
white oak and yellow poplar)
* Estimated volume: 88,528 bd.ft.
* Forester valued the sale at $25,500
* 3 bids
* $27,550
* $20,765
* $20,017
* Return: $394 per acre
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Do You Have a Timber Sale for The Bid Box?
If you have competitively sold your timber in the past few months and
would like to share the information with other landowners, we would
welcome your input. All sales will be reported at the county level as
shown above and no personal information will be divulged.
*********************************************************************
Reader Survey Results
We wish to thank those readers who responded to the survey that appeared
in the last issue of GH. As of this printing, here is what you have told us.
If you did not return your survey and wish to do so, there is no deadline.
We always welcome feedback. The survey will soon be posted on the Forestry
Extension Web site (
www.snr.missouri.edu/forestry/extension) for anyone wishing to put
electrons to work instead of the Post Office.
Our readers overwhelmingly agree that we provide a good unbiased balance of agroforestry, community
forestry and general forestry articles. And in spite of my most verbose attempts, most folks
think our articles are the right length. You like the recurring features, such as "The Carbon Corner" and
"Preserving the Family Forest"; especially well-liked is "The Bid Box." We are extremely pleased that
everyone agrees that each issue contains at least one piece of useful information that can be applied
to the management of their woodland.
Looking ahead, our readers want to see more articles on determining the best strategies for managing
various woodland scenarios. You want to know the characteristics of Missouri’s important forest tree
species and how best to manage them, for timber as well as for wildlife purposes. Money does matter
and people want information on evaluating the payout of various management practices as well as
marketing tips, and woodland valuation and appraisals. You also want to be kept abreast of any state
and federal forest policies that could affect you and how you manage your forest.
Two surprises at this juncture have been only the relatively ‘fair’ interest in carbon credits and estate
planning. We believe that this will change, however, as more family forest landowners will come to
see the close ties between removing unproductive, small-diameter trees from their woodland and
managed forest carbon projects. Also, as more of our ‘experienced’ landowners pass their woodland
legacy on to their heirs, the interest in planning for the future today should rise.
As we said at the start, if you haven’t provided your input, as Ed McMahon used to say, "Go ahead.
Send it in!" We would love to hear from you.
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Did You Know?
Of the 7.4 billion hardwood trees that are presently
growing in Missouri, 5.8 billion (78 percent)
are less than five inches in diameter at breast
height (4.5 feet above the ground). Too many
small-diameter trees in our forests is like too
many plants in your garden. Managed forests
mean thinned forests!
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Outrider Herbicide Safe to
Use in Hardwood Plantings
Outrider (active ingredient: 75 percent sulfosulfuron)
is a systemic, water soluble granule that
can control many annual and perennial weeds
in native warm-season grass stands and hardwood
plantings of black walnut, pecan, cottonwood,
sycamore, burr oak, swamp white oak,
pin oak, green ash, and baldcypress. It has
both pre- and post-emergence activity.
Over-the-top applications of up to 1.33 ounces
of product per acre can be made in well
established (i.e. either greater than one-year
old or where rains have allowed the soil to
completely settle the ground around the seedling)
plantings. The label allows for a second
application, but there must be at least 21 days
between each application.
PDF files of the product label and Material
Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) are available online
at http://www.cdms.net
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The Back Page
Deadlines for Newsletter Submissions
Spring Issue: March 15
Summer Issue: June 15
Fall Issue: September 15
Winter Issue: December 15
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Save the Date!
Take the opportunity to learn more about the development
and adoption of agroforestry at the 11th
North American Agroforestry Conference, hosted
by the University of Missouri Center for Agroforestry
and the Association for Temperate Agroforestry. The
conference will be May 31-June 3, 2009 (yes, that’s
’09!), at the Stoney Creek Inn, Columbia, Mo. The
conference will provide a forum for individuals associated
with or practicing agroforestry to share their
experiences and discuss production, environmental
and social attributes of different agroforestry practices. There will
be plenary and concurrent sessions,
a poster session, field trips and time for discussion
that focus on the successes, opportunities and
constraints of agroforestry. Special emphasis will be
placed on practical examples of agroforestry practices
and on technology transfer to producers.
A great learning opportunity in our own backyard!
See http://www.centerforagroforestry.org for more information;
the site will be updated frequently as additional
information becomes available.
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Calendar of Events
Deadlines for Newsletter Submissions
Spring Issue: March 15
Summer Issue: June 15
Fall Issue: September 15
Winter Issue: December 15