Green Horizons Vol. 5, No. 2 News for people who take their trees seriously Summer 2000 Published by the University of Missouri Center for Agroforestry University of Missouri-Columbia Bench grafting benefits nut production in alleycropping Ron Heskett owns a farm near Auburn, Neb., just over the Missouri line. He farms 1,485 acres. He owns 340 acres and rents the rest. While Ron has always had an interest in trees, his interest in agroforestry began in 1993 when he heard about it from the Nebraska Nut Growers. He saw alleycropping with black walnuts and pecans as a way to make more money in the future while allowing him to farm less land. Ron began alley cropping in a 30-acre field in 1993 with one row of pecans, adding another in 1994. Three more rows were added in 1995, along with six rows of grafted black walnut. Finally in 1997, he completed his alley cropping with six more rows of grafted black walnut. Corn and soybeans are alternated yearly between the tree rows, providing an annual income until the trees start bearing heavily. The tree rows are spaced 60 feet apart and 30 feet between each tree within the row. Ron estimates that he has taken less than three acres out of production with the tree rows. Some of his black walnut trees, at 4 and 5 years old, are already producing a lot of nuts. In fact, he has an Emma K cultivar that is producing so heavily that he has to harvest nuts off the terminal branch to prevent it from breaking. Ron attributes his success to bench grafting. Not only does it allow him to grow trees that produce earlier, but it also leaves the graft below the soil line. This will eventually provide a high-quality saw log, bringing additional income to future generations of his family when nut production declines. Ron bench grafts in April when he has free time, using new half-gallon milk containers with potting soil. A polyethylene bag is placed over each graft and removed as the graft begins leafing out. The black walnut seedling is moved to a nursery, and from the nursery it then goes to the field. In addition to the more traditional alleycropping practice of nut trees and row crops, Ron has also established raspberries between rows of pecan trees for a you-pick operation. Browsing deer are a constant problem. Although different techniques have been tried to discourage the deer, including soap, one solution that worked well was to place four 3/8- inch re-bar poles vertically around his pecan trees. Except for one bent bar the day after Ron placed them, none of the others were disturbed and the trees were unharmed. [****Photo not available in text version****] Ron Heskett adds paraffin to complete a bench-graft on a black walnut cultivar. This results in a graft below the soil line. [****Photo not available in text version****] Ron Heskett adds paraffin to complete a bench-graft on a black walnut cultivar. This results in a graft below the soil line. [****Photo not available in text version****] 3-year-old grafted walnut trees will eventually allow Ron Heskett to earn a higher income and farm less land. In the meantime, the crop produced in the alleys provides annual income. [****Photo not available in text version****] Raspberries are almost ready for picking. Here, Heskett examines a row of raspberries he uses as an alley crop between a row of pecans. Hidden $$$ in your forest: Pollen provides profit Tree pollen can cause allergies, but who would think that it has any value? Well, for the few landowners who take an interest in it, pollen can have you sneezing all the way to the bank! Plant pollen should not be confused with bee pollen and its health food aspects. Tree, shrub, grass and weed pollens can be collected. They are used mainly for production of allergenic medicines and allergy testing. There are only a few processors of tree pollen in the United States and most are associated with large pharmaceutical companies. These companies collect pollen with their own staffs operating under the guidance of a professional botanist. They also purchase raw material (pollen) from a relatively small number of trained collectors located throughout the country. These pollen collectors harvest flowering structures from trees and shrubs on their own land as well as other private land owners. The pollen collectors pay private forest landowners a percentage of the value of flowers harvested, offering the fortunate landowner an opportunity for annual income. Pollen collectors are actually "flower collectors," and pick over a short 6-8 week period in the spring, based on the need of the processing companies. Only the male flowers or portion of the flower (Anther) is utilized, but most collectors pick and sell the entire flower structure. The greatest volume of pollen is collected from species that occur over a large geographic range and produce large amounts of wind disseminated pollen. It is this pollen to which people are most commonly exposed. During the collection season, collectors may work long hours and require specialized equipment. In most cases, tree pollen collection should be considered only as a supplemental income possibility. For this reason many pollen collectors are involved in other businesses such as tree service, forestry, medicinal plant collection, seed collection or farming. Collectors partially dry the flowers prior to shipping to the processors. They are usually paid on a weight basis for their dried flowers. Rates are based upon the historic yield of pollen and the market value of the processed pollen. Prices vary for different species, but the species price is fairly constant from year to year. Collectors normally receive in the range of $5 to $40 per pound of dried flowers. Once the pollen is cleaned and processed, it can be stored for several years. Thus, the processing companies will purchase large quantities of a species that exhibits an unusually large crop in a particular year. Processed pollen must meet exacting standards for purity and is sold to pharmaceutical companies who further refine it into liquid extracts. Flowering structures are harvested by several different methods: *trimming trees and hand stripping the flowers, or collecting branchlets and flowers; *hand picking flowers from standing trees; *vacuuming pollen directly from the flowers; or *shaking trees mechanically and collecting pollen on plastic sheets under the trees. If you are interested in becoming a pollen collector, you can request the leaflet Collecting Allergenic Pollens from Allergon Division, P.O. Box 693, Carthage, MO 64836. State forestry agencies and state Cooperative Extension services may also have information about pollen collection activities in their respective states. Below is a list of tree species from which pollen extracts are manufactured. This listing is for general information only, may not be all-inclusive, and may contain species not purchased by all processing companies. — Shelby G. Jones, consulting forester (chart) Tree species from which pollen extracts are manufactured Common Name Scientific Name(s) ------------ ------------------ Acacia Acacia spp. Alder Alnus rhombifolia/rubra/velutina Ash Fraxinus americana/pennsylvanica/velutina Aspen Populus tremuloides Beech Fagus grandifolia Beefwood Casuarina equisetifolia Birch Betula fontinalis/lenta/nigra Bottlebrush Callistemon citrinus Boxelder Acer negundo Cedar, Mtn. Juniperus sabinoides Cedar, Red Juniperus virginiana Cedar, Salt Tamarix gallica Cottonwood Populus trichocarpa/deltoides/fremonti Cypress, Arizona Cupressus arizonica Elm Ulmus americana/pumila Eucalyptus Eucalyptus spp. Hackberry Celtis occidentalis Hazelnut Corylus americana Hickory/Pecan Carya ovata/illinoensis/tomentosa Juniper Juniperus californica/scopulorum/osteosperma/occidentalis Maple Acer macrophyllum/rubrum/saccharum/saccharinum Melaleuca Melaleuca leucadendron Mesquite Prosopis juliflora Mulberry Morus alba/rubra Oak Quercus agrifolia/alba/dumosa/gambelii/rubra/velutina Olive, European Olea europaea Palm, Date Phoenix dactylifera Palo Verde Cercidium torreyana Pecan Carya pecan Pepper Tree Schinus molle Pine Pinus echinata/ponderosa/strobus Poplar Poplar alba/deltoides/nigra Privet Ligustrum vulgare Russian Olive Elaeagnus angustifolia Sweetgum Liquidambar styraciflua Sycamore Platanus occidentalis/racemosa Tree of Heaven Ailanthus altissima Walnut Juglans californica/nigra/regia Willow Salix discolor/lasiolepis/nigra [****Photo not available in text version****] Pollen can be a valuable non-timber forest product. The pollen gathered in this pan is worth about $30,000. The Karkaghnae Club turns 50! This year is the 50th anniversary of the Karkaghnae Club. Membership is open to everyone, and includes private and government forestry professionals, private landowners, loggers, various wood products representatives and others interested in forestry. Dues are a bargain at $5 per year. Meetings are generally centered around field trips. The Spring 2000 meeting included a trip to Piedmont, Mo. to visit a demonstration area at Kelly Burke's Timber 34 Company, where mechanical harvesting was used in a selective cut. For more information, contact Karl R. Wolf, secretary-treasurer, at 17212 Thunder Valley Rd., Eureka, MO 63025, KarlR@aol.com; or David Massengale, President, P.O. Box 460, Salem, MO, 65560, Mass7114@salemnet.com. Newsletter deadlines Because your newsletter must be in the mail at least 30 days before the next organization meeting and another three weeks is needed to get it ready and through the printing process, the deadline for the next issue is: November 1, 2000 Send your newsletter material to: Sandy Hodge, 203 Anheuser-Busch Natural Resources Bldg., Forestry Program, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65211. Phone (573) 884-6729. Your management tips, ideas and experiences are most welcome! The bid sheet (The following is a description of an actual timber sale in Missouri and the results of the sale. What would the results have been if the timber had been sold without a bidding process?) Situation: A Missouri landowner had a consulting forester mark his timber for sale. The consultant found 1,191 trees (215,595 board feet) that were ready for market. Most of them were silver maple. However, there were a few walnut trees in the stand. The consultant estimated one of the walnut trees was worth nearly $1,000. The consultant's appraisal before the sale was $26,900. The consultant commented that most of the bids were for less-than-pallet-lumber prices. Bid opening: A. $5,100 E. $13,750 B. $10,125 F. $24,865.50 C. $12,000 G. $30,000 D. $12,600 It pays to have a professional forester help you sell your timber! For more information about a professional consulting forester in your area, contact the Missouri Forest Products Association at (573) 634-3252. [****Photo not available in text version****] Gary Tracy, Clopton FFA Chapter member, received the first place Forest Management Proficiency Award at the 72nd Annual Missouri State FFA Convention in Columbia, Mo. on April 13. The Missouri Tree Farm Committee sponsors the award. Getting priorities straight Missouri pecan growers with native stands may take a hint from Kansas pecan specialist Bill Reid in setting their production priorities. Reid, director of the Pecan Research Field at Kansas State University, says most native plantation owners have their priorities out of kilter. Typically, growers would list their production practices in the following priority list from most important to least important: 1. insect control, 2. grazing, 3. tree thinning, 4. disease control, 5. nitrogen fertilization, 6. surface drainage. Bill Reid has a different list: 1. thinning, 2. surface draining, 3. nitrogen fertilization, 4. pest control, 5. disease control, 6. grazing. Reid says that thinning should be most important. He estimates that selective thinning alone can boost nut yield by more than 300 pounds per acre and increase kernel grades by 3 to 4 percent. Then, he said, comes surface drainage and nitrogen fertilizer. Improving surface drainage and fertilizing with nitrogen can add an additional 200 pounds per acres. Only after a grower develops fruitful trees should investments be made in pest control. Finally, grazing can be viewed as a labor-saving device to reduce the cost of mowing the groundcover. If the native pecan grove is part of an agroforestry silvopasture practice where cattle are rotationally grazed, growers can also realize income from the sale of beef. The view from HarperHill Coming into the light All of us have felt at times that we were being treated like mushrooms — kept in the dark and fed manure. For some of us the lights came on recently when Dusty Walter, then an MU forestry graduate student, presented the findings from a study he was working on. Walter gave his report at the annual Missouri Tree Farm/Stewardship Days in Columbia. This is a gathering of forest and timber interests in the state, especially forest landowners and the private and public foresters who work with them. Walter was encouraged to do his study by a long-running, but unproven, argument that Missouri landowners do not receive as much money for their harvested timber as landowners in nearby states, especially landowners in Illinois, Indiana and Ohio. To help settle the argument, Walter dug through timber price reporting data from several states for the past five years. It was not an easy job. He quickly found that there is little consistency in timber price reporting from state to state. On top of that, at least two different measuring scales are used to determine the amount of board feet of lumber in a log and some states do not report both stumpage (prices received by landowners for standing timber) and prices for logs delivered to the mill for all species. To his credit, Walter made every attempt to separate data so he was comparing apples to apples as nearly as possible. The results were quite glaring and started some brush fires in the industry. For instance, he determined that veneer grade black walnut logs, the cream of the crop, show a tremendous disparity in pricing among states. In 1994, Indiana mills were paying more than $4,000 per thousand board feet for walnut veneer logs delivered to their sites. Missouri mills were paying about $800. By 1999 the gap had narrowed a bit. Indiana mills were paying a little over $3,000 while Missouri mills paid a little less than $1,500. Grade 1 and 2 lumber logs exhibited similar price discrepancies, with the gap closing only slightly in most recent years. Prices paid directly to landowners by loggers followed a similar pattern. In 1994, Illinois landowners were paid about $1,600 per thousand board feet for walnut veneer stumpage while Missourians received only $650. By 1999 that difference had been reduced with Illinois landowners receiving nearly $1,400 and Missourians about $975. The report was followed by an immediate rush to explain the deficiencies by each of the timber industry's special interests. Loggers and mill operators justified the lower prices by pointing to lower quality of Missouri timber in general. However, we have to ask, "Isn't a Grade 1 lumber log the same in Missouri as it is in Illinois?" There also is the accusation that Missouri's price reporting system is inadequate because it relies on voluntary reporting. That seems to be a self-damning admission. It also was pointed out that Missouri lacks competition among mill buyers, especially in north Missouri where there are few mills. Could be, but it is fairly well established that most of Missouri's veneer quality logs are exported to eastern states where veneer mills are located. Someone must be pocketing the difference along the way. Foresters present a good case for low stumpage prices and low income to landowners. Fewer than 5 percent of timber sales in this state involve a professional forester and the bidding process (see Shelby Jones' article in this issue). In most sales the landowner sells to the first logger coming along at the time the landowner needs the money. Without competitive bidding through a qualified forester, the landowner has little chance of determining fair price. It is common to see winning bids in competitive sales as much as five times higher than the low bid. Far from settling the argument, this new information has added fuel to the fire. Explanations may dampen some of the heat, but do not correct the discrepancies. Missouri's timber interests, including farmers/landowners, need to take the lead in establishing a fair and workable price discovery mechanism for this valuable crop. — Reprinted from the May issue of Missouri Ruralist [****Photo not available in text version****] Missouri timber prices are less competitive than in neighboring states. Black Walnut Tree Improvement Program update A number of new directions are being developed for the Missouri Black Walnut Tree Improvement Program based at the University of Missouri Horticulture and Agroforestry Research Center (HARC) in New Franklin, Mo. The program focuses upon the genetic improvement of this important native species for both nut traits and improved timber characteristics. A clonal repository (or collection) of over 95 different cultivars has been assembled during the past five years. This genetically diverse material will help determine which cultivars are best suited to central Missouri in terms of flowering and fruiting characteristics, winter hardiness, disease resistance, etc. In the spring of 2000, we began recording information on the date of spring bud break, and the presence of male and female flowers on these young trees. This type of information will help us determine how to design future grafted black walnut orchards for Missouri. Another project calls for developing new cultivated varieties derived from a black walnut breeding program. These new cultivars would be selected based upon such characteristics as lateral seed bearing, late spring bud break, disease resistance, precocity, nut qualities (shell thickness, crackability), and kernel color. In addition, improvements will be sought in stem straightness and branching habit which are also important timber traits. Grafted trees representing 48 different cultivars were propagated in the spring of 2000 and will be out-planted in a new breeding orchard site at HARC in the spring of next year. These trees will be grown in a unique trellis system that should allow us to produce more seeds quicker, and on smaller-sized plants. These smaller plants should facilitate the entire controlled breeding process by enabling us to readily observe the ideal timing of the female flower receptivity, for example, as well as other critical components associated with making controlled crosses. Another important aspect of growing grafted black walnut trees in nut orchards involves the use of the best rootstocks available. Rootstocks can influence the performance of grafted nut trees in terms of adaptability to certain soils, winter hardiness, and overall nut productivity. In order to define the extent of rootstock effects on walnut performance, a total of 5 popular nut cultivars were grafted onto 4 commercially available seedling rootstock sources. These grafts will be out-planted at two sites in the spring of 2001 and observed for a number of years to see what advantage (if any) there might be to using certain rootstocks in nut orchards. — Mark V. Coggeshall, University of Missouri Center for Agroforestry [****Photo not available in text version****] Mark Coggeshall outlined his approach to a pecan and black walnut tree breeding and improvement program to members of the Missouri Nut Growers Association when they visited the Horticulture and Agroforestry Center at New Franklin, Mo. in July. The nut growers were impressed with the number of research projects underway since their last visit to the Center three years ago. Missouri Chapter of the Walnut Council meetings [****Photo not available in text version****] (Above) Dr. Robert Littlejohn encouraged discussion on pruning and thinning walnut trees in his Conservation Reserve Program plantation near Aullville. Members toured the Littlejohn farm in July and enjoyed discussion on salvaging CRP tree plantings. [****Photo not available in text version****] (Left) Paul Baker, of Dearborn, makes a selective pruning cut on a walnut tree. Calendar of upcoming events October 7 Walnut Festival. Alton, Mo. October 13 Walnut Council Meeting. Ferd Bopp Farm, Unionville, Mo. 9 a.m. Call Phil Moore at (816) 540-3169 for more information. October 15 Poosey Conservation Area, Annual Fall Driving Tour. Located 20 miles NW of Chillicothe. For more information contact Terry Truttman, resource forester with the Missouri Department of Conservation at (660) 646-6122. The driving tour will highlight 100 years of professional forestry highlighting forest practices from the past (horses) to the present (skidder). October 16 Meeting of the Missouri Tree Farm Committee, 9 a.m., Missouri Department of Conservation office, Chillicothe, Missouri. The meeting will be followed by a visit to Jim Drew's tree farm. To attend only the visit to the Drew Tree Farm, meet at the office by 1 p.m. The Chillicothe office is located 3 miles east of Chillicothe on Hwy. 36. For more information contact Terry Truttman, resource forester with the Missouri Department of Conservation at (660) 646-6122. October 28-30 Walnut Festival, Stockton, Mo. Contact the Hammonds Product Company at (417) 276-5181. November 11-12 Nut Harvest Festival. Jim and Florence Wilson, Nevada, Mo. Begins Saturday at 10 a.m. until 3 p.m. Sunday. There will be booths selling food, drinks, crafts and nut products. There will also be music and wagon tours to see the actual pecan harvest. Prizes will be given away each hour for registered participants. Call (417) 667- 8115 for more information. Directions: Take Highway 71 about 6 miles north of Nevada, Mo. or 13 miles South of Rich Hill. There will be signs and you can turn off Highway 71 directly into drive. January 16-17, 2001 Agroforestry Training for natural resource professionals. The MU Center for Agroforestry in Columbia will offer a two-day training on designing and implementing the five temperate agroforestry practices. All registrants will receive training materials and videos for use with landowners. Course will be held in Conservation Hall in the School of Natural Resources. For more information, contact Dusty Walter, technical training specialist at (573) 884-7991 or email: WalterW@missouri.edu. Also, check out the Center's home page at http://web.missouri.edu/~umca. Send your forestry related event dates to: Sandy Hodge, 203 Anheuser-Busch Natural Resources Bldg., MU Center for Agroforestry, Columbia, MO 65211. Green Horizons is published quarterly by the University of Missouri Center for Agroforestry and the College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources. All submitted material is subject to editing for style and length. Editorial board: Scott Brundage, Missouri Consulting Foresters Association (573) 443-3977 Philip Moore, president, Missouri Chapter of the Walnut Council, (816) 540-3169 Gene Garrett, director, MU Center for Agroforestry, (573) 882-3647 Sandy Hodge, editor, Green Horizons, MU Center for Agroforestry, (573) 884-6729 Paul Manson, president, Missouri Nut Growers Association, (660) 548-3477 Cory Ridenhour, Missouri Forest Products Association (573) 634-3253 John Shopland, superintendent, MU Horticulture and Agroforestry Research Center, (660) 848-2268 Clell Solomon, Missouri Christmas Tree Producers Association (660) 273-2368 Larry Harper, president, Missouri Tree Farm Committee (573) 442-5326 Wayne Wittmeyer, Forest Stewardship Program (573) 751-4115 Mailing address: Green Horizons, c/o Sandy Hodge, MU Center for Agroforestry, 203 Anheuser-Busch Natural Resources Bldg., Forestry Program, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65211.