Green Horizons
Volume 8, Number 4
Fall 2004

Forest Management

Harvesting your own timber


Landowners who receive proper training gain confidence in felling
their own timber. Note: The chainsaw operator shown here is wearing
specially designed protective jeans for added safety. 

The woodland owner who cuts and delivers the logs or other products
to the roadside or mill may substantially increase profits from the
sale. However, logging requires special skills and knowledge and
there are substantial risks involved. It is hard and potentially
dangerous work. In addition to personal risks, engaging in logging
may alter your insurance coverage.

Some types of logging may require special equipment. Attempting to
log with some agricultural equipment could result in extensive
damage to the equipment and increase the chances of personal injury.
Furthermore, improper cutting, handling, or transporting of
highvalue logs can destroy much of their value. As with most
projects, logging often requires more time than is initially
estimated.

Recommendations for harvesting your own timber:

*Have a market for your product before you invest the time and money
necessary to harvest it. If possible, have a written contract with
the buyer. Do not get stuck with a product to sell without a buyer.
*Know your buyer's specifications and requirements. What size log
will they accept (minimum, and in some cases maximum, diameter and
length)? How much volume or how many trees will they accept in a
given period of time? Are they only interested in veneer quality
logs?
*Once the tree is down, know where to cut the logs. There is more to
it than simply laying out a tape measure and cutting at every 16
feet. One can ruin a perfectly good lumber log (or heaven forbid, a
veneer log) by cutting at the wrong place. Super glue will not help
you here!
*If you employ other people to help you, know your legal
responsibilities for such things as workers' compensation, minimum
wage, social security, state and federal income tax, O.S.H.A.
requirements, etc.
*Use the proper equipment. Seek out others who have harvested similar
timber in conditions like those found in your woodlot and see what
they recommend.
*Observe all safety precautions and procedures.
*Check with your insurance carrier to determine if logging alters
your coverage. If it does, work with your carrier in securing a
special rider that will provide you with the necessary coverage.

Hence it may interfere with other activities and responsibilities.
Once begun, logging is best finished as quickly as possible so the
forest can begin regenerating itself.

For these reasons alone, harvesting of high-value species, such as
black walnut or white oak trees containing veneer quality logs,
should be left to the buyer.

A discussion of proper techniques of cutting, handling, and
transporting timber products is beyond the scope of this article --
but if you’re thinking about harvesting, keep the following points
in mind.

The Missouri Forest Products Association offers an excellent timber
harvesting short course and it is open to private landowners. For a
schedule of course offerings, visit www.moforest.org or call
education coordinator Glenda Fry at (573) 634-3252.



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Market Opportunities

Specialty gourmet mushrooms: A forest farming cash crop

What could a dark, damp forested area of your small acreage be good
for? A variety of potentially profitable crops, including specialty
mushrooms. The Center for Agroforestry is conducting research to
produce specialty and gourmet mushrooms, like shiitake, morel and
the European black truffle, in forest farming settings. These forest
farming products can sell at high retail prices and grow well on
small acreages.
 
Specialty gourmet mushrooms, like shiitake, shown above, can be
profitable value-added agricultural products when grown in a forest
farming system. Informative presentations on growing shiitake
mushrooms will be included in the Center for Agroforestry upcoming
Specialty Mushroom Workshop, Dec. 3-4, 2004, in Columbia, Mo. (see
pg. 10) 

In a forest farming practice, light, or shade levels, is
intentionally managed in a forest to favor the growth, or enhanced
production, of certain shade-loving plants. These shade-loving
plants that may be grown in the understory of a forest are often
termed non-timber forest products--demonstrating the possibility for
successful growth of both timber and other products simultaneously
in a forest farming practice. However, to accomplish this objective,
forest canopy densities must be controlled by manipulating the
structure and /or species composition of the forest. These
manipulations then influence light levels available to the forest
floor.

Properly applied to the forest environment, the forest farming
practice can enhance and diversify farm income opportunities, while
at the same time making significant improvements to the composition
and structure of the forest for long term improvements in overall
health, quality and economic value. Long term tree crops and short
term understory crops can be grown simultaneously on the same
forested land, and result in a healthy, sustainable forest
environment.

It is very important to start small when establishing a forest
farming practice. The intensity of the practice, and the value of
the product being grown, makes it likely that the initial management
of small acreages will provide greater encouragement to landowners.
On a very small area (5 acres or less) the vertical, horizontal and
belowground dimensions are managed intensely to produce multiple
crops simultaneously. One example of this process is highlighted in
the adjacent article on Ozark Forest Mushrooms, a timber/forest
farming operation in the state’s Ozark region.

Advantages of Forest Farming:

*Improved forest health resulting from properly thinning and managing
the forest.
*Intermediate income opportunities while timber matures.
*Diversified farm income of land otherwise not used.

Disadvantages of Forest Farming:

*Requires intensive management.
*Markets for some products are not yet fully developed.
*Requires a broad knowledge of both trees/forest and plants to
properly manage to improve growing environments for both.



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Agroforestry/Forest Management

Establishing bottomland hardwood forests for agroforestry: Methods
and funding incentives

In the Summer 2004 issue of Green Horizons, we outlined the
importance of restoring bottomland hardwood forests in Missouri,
based upon presentations from an April 1 workshop supported through
the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) Forest Land
Enhancement Program (FLEP) funds. Additional information about
bottomland hardwood forest establishment and funding incentives is
provided in this article. To view the summer article, visit
www.centerforagroforestry.org and select UMCA Publications. Green
Horizons is listed at the bottom of the page. 

Bottomland plantings can be effective in all five agroforestry
practices: Forest farming, silvopasture, riparian buffers, alley
cropping and windbreaks. Species suitable for bottomland plantings
in agroforestry practices include swamp white oak, bur oak, pin oak
and shell bark hickory. In the southeastern region (bootheel) of
Missouri, willow oak, nuttall oak, cherrybark oak and overcup oak
may be effective.

Tree establishment methods:
John Kabrick, research forester, USDA Forest Service, presented
information about tree establishment methods at the April 1
workshop. Two primary establishment methods Kabrick explained for
bottomland hardwood forests are direct seeding and planting
seedlings.

Direct seeding is the establishment of trees by sowing seeds. For
hard mast species, seeds are usually placed in the soil (acorns are
placed 2 or 3 inches below the soil surface). This can be
accomplished by hand or with a mechanical planter.

The first-year survival rates of direct-seeded trees were studied by
the USDA Forest Service in three conservation areas: a 1998 study of
Four Rivers Conservation Area, Bates and Vernon Counties, showed a
greater than 95 percent survival rate; a 1991 study of Settles Ford
Conservation Area showed a 14 percent survival rate; and a 2003
study of Duck Creek Conservation Area, Bollinger, Stoddard, Wayne
Counties, showed only a 5 percent survival rate.

"Even with high quality seed, the number of seedlings that germinate
can be low if the seed becomes too dry or if it is eaten by insects
or wildlife. Small seedlings that have just emerged from seed are
vulnerable to rain, wind, drought, and browse by wildlife," said
Kabrick. "However, when the conditions are right, survival can be
quite high."

Planting seedlings:
The survival rate of planted seedlings, whether you use bareroot
stock, container stock, or cuttings, is consistently higher than it
is for seedlings established by direct seeding. Bareroot stock, like
the name implies, are seedlings that are mechanically lifted from
the nursery bed, removing the soil and leaving the roots exposed.
Once lifted, the seedlings are packaged and sent to the planting
site where they can easily planted with a tile spade or planting
bar.

 
Bareroot seedlings are established and grown for one or two years at
the nursery where they can be properly cared for and protected when
they are most vulnerable. Consequently, they are larger and better
able to compete for light, water, and nutrients once they leave the
nursery.

Much like bareroot stock, container stock seedlings are also
established and grown at the nursery for one to two years. However,
container seedlings are established in small pots or containers. The
container is removed during out planting, and the root ball and
planting medium are planted without disturbing the seedling roots.
Because the root system is not disturbed during planting,
containergrown stock generally has higher survival and growth than
planted bareroot seedlings.

Another kind of container stock is the RPMTM seedling, or Root
Production MethodTM. These seedlings are produced through a
patent-pending process developed by Forrest Keeling Nursery,
Elsberry, Mo. Through a multi-step program of air-root pruning,
seedlings develop a very dense, fibrous root system that absorbs and
utilizes more oxygen, water and nutrients, translating into greater
basal diameter, shoot length, root volume and root and shoot dry
weight than bareroot seedlings.

Site Preparation:
Site preparation provides an opportunity to improve conditions for
planting trees and may include fertilizing, weeding, disking,
clearing debris, or bedding (mounding) the soil.

Soil beds can be constructed by mounding soil with a moldboard plow,
offset disc, rice levee plow, or similar tillage implements and also
with backhoe-type excavators. Once constructed, beds range from 4 to
8 feet wide and one-half to 2 feet tall. Soil bedding or mounding
concentrates organic matter and nutrients, decreases bulk density,
and improves aeration and soil drainage. On soils that are very wet
or clayey, it may increase tree seedling survival or growth.

Funding incentives for bottomland plantings
There are a number of federal, state, and private organizations that
can provide landowners with both funding and technical assistance
for bottomland hardwood restoration in Missouri. At the federal
level, the primary funding organizations are the USDA's Farm Service
Agency and Natural Resource Conservation Service. At the state
level, both the Missouri Department of Conservation and the Missouri
Department of Natural Resources (DNR) have cost-share programs for
tree planting in bottomland areas. On the private side,
organizations such as the National Wild Turkey Federation and Ducks
Unlimited support landowner efforts to restore bottomland wildlife
habitat.

The USDA Wetlands Reserve Program (WRP) includes cost-share
provisions that can provide the landowner with up to 100 percent of
restoration costs, while WRP easement options can allow landowners
to receive market value for their land while retaining rights of
access, exclusion and compatible uses such as hunting and fishing.
Under the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP), Bottomland Timber
Establishment on Wetlands (CP31) is a relatively new CRP practice
that provides landowners with a 50 percent costshare for tree
planting, an annual rental payment, and maintenance payments on
enrolled lands. The Riparian Buffer practice (CP22), which can be
used in tandem with CP31, provides even more incentives: in addition
to the standard 50 percent cost-share and annual payment (at 120% of
the average soil rental rate), landowners installing CP22 receive a
"practice incentive payment" that covers an additional 40 percent of
establishment costs and a one-time "signing incentive payment" of up
to $150 per acre, depending on contract length.

Other programs that can support bottomland restoration include the
Wildlife Habitat Incentives Program, which offers up to 75 percent
cost-share for habitat improvement, and the Environmental Quality
Incentives Program, which also includes several applicable
costshares and other incentives gor both establishment and
management of bottomland hardwoods.

At the state level, both the MDC and the DNR can provide technical
assistance and funding for bottomland hardwood restoration and
management. The MDC will cost-share (up to 75%) on two
timber-related wildlife habitat improvement practices: Tree/Shrub
Establishment (MDC 700) and Woodland Improvement (MDC 900). The DNR
also provides up to a 75 percent cost share through their Forest
Plantation (DFR-04) and Permanent Vegetative Cover (DSL-11), though
certain eligibility criteria must be met.

Private organizations also partner with landowners to support
bottomland habitat creation and enhancement. The National Wild
Turkey Federation's Superfund program helps landowners develop
habitat for wild turkey and other species. Ducks Unlimited
specializes in helping landowners obtain resources and technical
assistance for wildlife habitat improvement. The National Fish and
Wildlife Foundation gives challenge grants to leverage funds from
other sources. Taken together, these sources of funding and
technical assistance offer landowners many opportunities to defray
the costs of bottomland hardwood forest restoration and management.

The guidelines in this article are subject to change. Check with the
appropriate agencies for up-to-date program information.



Additional sources of information:
Missouri Department of Conservation
www.conservation.state.mo.us

Forrest Keeling Nursery
www.fknursery.com

Walnut Council
www.walnutcouncil.org

John Kabrick, USDA Forest Service: (tree establishment)
ph. (573) 875-5341 x.229
email: jkabrick@fs.fed.us

Dusty Walter, UMCA: (species selection)
ph. (573) 884-7991;
email: walterw@missouri.edu

Doug Wallace, NRCS: (funding incentives)
ph. (573) 876-0908;
www.mo.nrcs.usda.gov


Photo 1a: Container stock seedlings grown with the RPMTM method
produce a very large root system at the nursery. With the RPMTM
method, seedlings are established in small, bottomless pots (1b).
This causes the seedling's tap root to air prune and produce a large
number of lateral roots. During the final stage of this method,
trees are transferred to 3- or 5-gallon pots (1c) where they
continue to grow for another one to two growing seasons. 



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"Realizing the Value of Trees in the Farming System" Agroforestry
Workshop and Field Tours


Saturday, Oct. 30, 2004
Southwest Research Center, Mount Vernon, Mo.
8:30 - 4 p.m.
Fee: $8 if pre-registered; $10 at the door
Sponsored by the Missouri Farmers Union and the Kansas Farmers Union

Don’t miss this workshop in woodlot management and agroforestry!
Discussions include: integrating forestry management on the farm;
nuts as a growing market; lease hunting as an additional income;
non-timber products and marketing and managing a profitable woodlot.
Featured speakers include Gene Garrett of the University of Missouri
Center for Agroforestry; Joe Wilson of the Missouri Northern Pecan
Growers LLC; Skip Mourglia of the USDA Southwest Missouri Resource
Conservation and Development and Mike Gold of the University of
Missouri Center for Agroforestry.

Field tours include the low maintenance/fast establishing Robert
Karr windbreak demonstration; the Southwest Research Center nut
orchards, including 800 grafted trees; nut harvest equipment and
improved varieties of walnuts, pecans, hickories and pawpaws; and a
walk-through of a family forest to discuss forest management and
harvest issues. A wood-mizer (or portable sawmill) will also be
demonstrated during this section of the tour. See below for
registration information.

Register now for "Realizing the Value of Trees in the Farming System" 
Agroforestry Workshop

Send name, address, phone number, email address, number of wooded
acres and county name with $8 check by Monday, Oct. 25th to:

Missouri Farmers Union
325 Jefferson City, Suite 100A
Jefferson City, Mo. 65101
ph: (573) 659-4787

On-site registration is $10, but preregistration is strongly
suggested. For more information or to see a list of additional
sponsors, visit www.missourifarmersunion.org.



Photo Caption:  Talking Nuts: Bill Reid, (far left), Kansas State Research and
Extension Specialist on nut crops, discusses pecan cultivar traits
at the University of Missouri Horticulture and Agroforestry Research
Center, New Franklin, Mo. The farm tour was part of the Northern Nut
Growers Assn./ North American Fruit Explorers joint annual meeting,
held in Columbia, Mo., Aug. 15-19, 2004.  



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Agroforestry/Forest Management

Missouri Christmas Tree Producers Association boosts tree industry;
holiday spirit

With the holiday season approaching, many of our thoughts turn to
decorating, food and family.
For members of the Missouri Christmas Tree Producers Association
(MCTPA), thoughts turn to preparing for harvest and hopefully, a
rush of happy customers.

The association includes members representing 65 tree farms across
Missouri. The focus is member information and education, highlighted
by an annual meeting in June and in January to exchange ideas about
pest control, marketing and tree farm maintenance.

Steve Meier, association president, said the benefits to members
extend beyond producers' immediate area. "We're able to network with
each other often, and if a crop problem is discovered, the members
contact the entire association and we all start watching for it
across the state."

Another component of the association is to dispel ideas toward fresh
holiday trees that could turn buyers away. For example, some
consumers purchase artificial trees for fear of fresh trees catching
fire in the home.

According to Meier, a fresh tree will maintain its quality in your
home for up to three months if well watered and maintained.

"Contrary to popular belief, it's almost impossible to catch a real
tree on fire," he said. "Proper preparation of the stump and
maintaining the water level are the keys to a beautiful, long
lasting tree without risk of fire."

The two most common types of trees grown at Missouri farms are
Scotch and white pine. While Scotch is the most prevalent type,
white pine is suggested for people who have allergies.

"The pollen content of white pine is unlike the others, and is
well-tolerated by people sensitive to pollen," Meier said.

One of the most important attributes of selecting a tree is the
"Christmas aroma" that fills a room. Meier suggests purchasing a
Virginia pine or a fir for the best aroma. The Frazier fir, grown in
the northern portion of Missouri, is also an excellent choice for
the holiday scent.

"There's nothing like the freshness and aroma of a real tree,
especially if you go to a tree farm and have it cut just for you,"
Meier said. "Purchasing fresh trees is also beneficial to the
environment and to Missouri farmers."

Meier said the number of Christmas tree farms in Missouri is
increasing, but despite the list of benefits to association members
-- including information about estate planning, taxation and new
technology for improving tree farm production -- membership in the
association is declining.

"This trend has been happening for about the last ten to twelve
years," he said. "There are growers out there who are missing the
opportunity to try new techniques first-hand and learn about
innovations in the industry."

For tree maintenance tips and more information about MCTPA, visit
www.missourichristmastrees.org; or email Steve Meier at
meierhsp@netscape.net.

Photo Caption: 
Members of the Missouri Christmas Tree Producers Association share 
tips for shearing and managing trees. 

Photo Caption:
Members of the association also take a role in
environmentally-friendly disposal of trees. They are encouraged to
provide tree bags for customers, which can be easily pulled up and
over the tree at the end of the holiday season with little needle
shedding. Many cities have designated recycling plans for the trees,
including mulch for parks and walking paths.


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MFPA offers landowners and hunt clubs liability insurance

Hunters and landowners will soon have the ability to be insured for
the upcoming hunting season as the Missouri Forest Products
Association (MFPA) has teamed up with Davis-Garvin Agency, Inc. to
offer hunt/lease liability insurance to its members. The association
is the only source in the state for affordable hunt/lease liability
insurance.

"This is a program we have wanted to implement for a while," MFPA
Executive Director Cory Ridenhour said. "It has had great success in
the southeastern part of the country and benefits all parties
involved. Landowners have to realize their general liability
policies do not cover hunting activities on their land. This special
policy is needed for protection."

The hunt/lease plan provides comprehensive general liability
insurance for hunting clubs and for the timberland owner who is
leasing the land for hunting. There is a $1 million per event limit
occurrence and a $2 million aggregate limit. Liability covers bodily
injury and property damage. To participate in this program and
qualify for the low rate of 16 cents per acre, both the landowner
and the hunt club must be current members of MFPA.The organization
began issuing policies on Sept. 13, 2004. To view a list of
frequently asked questions regarding hunt/lease liability insurance,
please visit the MFPA website at www.moforest.org.

For more information contact the MFPA office at (573) 634-3252.




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From log to shelf: Ozark Forest Mushrooms fills niche in specialty
market

If Dan Hellmuth and Nicola McPherson continue practicing "business
as usual," consumers across the country will soon know the beautiful
Ozark region of Missouri as the heart and soul of the Midwest's
gourmet shiitkake mushroom industry.

One of the state's most significant demonstrations of a successful
forest farming practice is Hellmuth and McPherson's Ozark Forest
Mushrooms in Timber, Mo. The entrepreneurial couple established the
specialty mushroom operation in 1990 on what was then a timber
operation, and coordinate every step of the value-added process,
from the innoculated log to packaged, consumer-friendly products.

A key to their success is developing an agroforestry practice that
works within the natural setting of the land. Under the guidelines
of the Stewardship Incentive Program, administered by the Missouri
Department of Conservation (MDC), Hellmuth and McPherson harvest a
renewable supply of mushroom bed logs while simultaneously
maintaining their forested acres in a healthy ecological state.
Consequently, what began 14 years ago with only 100 oak logs in
production has grown to include 16,000 shiitake logs in production.
Only five acres of the couple’s 2,500 forested acres are utilized
for the mushroom business.

Hellmuth said the land was clear cut about eighty years ago, a
former short leaf pine forest. Now, the forest is a second
generation mixed hardwood forest divided into 20-acre sections and
rotationally thinned on a 30-year cycle. In accordance with MDC
guidelines, only certain trees are harvested so that the forest is
naturally thinned, never clear cut. The butt logs of the trees are
sold to sawmills and the residual branch wood is the main source for
shiitake logs. Branch wood has more sapwood, which provides the
nutrients for the shiitakes to thrive on.

"People in this area have a skill with cord wood, timber cutting,
tree identification, the entire business," Hellmuth said. "What
we're doing is similar to cutting cord wood for firewood or cord
wood for the charcoal industry. This is an agroforestry practice
that works with the land we have in this part of the country."

 The business is also sustainable. The couple is currently
investigating forest certification through the Forest Stewardship
Council, and through funding from a USDA SARE grant, a new
greenhouse has recently been completed with a wood furnace for
burning spent/culled shiitake logs for heat during the winter
months. "We’re not actually depleting our forest resources over
time," said Hellmuth. "Basically, we’re turning waste wood into high
value food and then using the spent logs for fuel value to heat our
greenhouse in order to keep production all winter long."

Hellmuth and McPherson have given particular emphasis to targeted
marketing of their value-added boxed mixes and products. "The
biggest marketing challenge for a rural area is that most of the
mushrooms are a fairly high value specialty food, and the largest
market is in some of the state's bigger cities," said Hellmuth. "We
are marketing products to St. Louis and need to deliver them to the
city on a weekly basis."

Markets for Ozark Forest Mushrooms include restaurant owners, chefs,
catering companies and organic food stores. The mushrooms are
refrigerated within one hour of picking to retain optimum freshness
and quality, and then shipped directly to customers.

"If you're trying to manage your market, you want to have a constant
supply of mushrooms every week. Your customers expect that," said
McPherson.

The operation competes in the niche market for organic products by
not using any artificial fertilizers or herbicides in the growing
and packaging process, demonstrated by the USDA organic logo
Hellmuth and McPherson obtained through the Missouri Department of
Agriculture.

Consumer education is another invaluable aspect of a successful
mushroom business. McPherson gives customers a flier telling the
story of their operation, their local employees and the growing
process. As an effort to reinforce the connection between customers
and locally-grown foods, Ozark Forest Mushrooms has become part of a
chef's collaborative to promote local farms and local foods to area
restaurants.

"Cross-marketing with other locally grown foods in the area helps
build the name recognition and connection to the food and land
customers seek," McPherson said.

"It's hard work that doesn't stop, like milking cows," McPherson
said. "There are a lot of long days and weekend marketing events,
but when I walk into a restaurant and see my mushrooms on the menu,
or walk into a supermarket and see our products on the shelf, that
gives me huge pleasure and makes all the work worthwhile." For more
information, visit www.ozarkforest.com.

Nicola McPherson will be a featured presenter at the upcoming UCMA
Specialty Mushroom Workshop, Dec. 3rd and 4th in Columbia, Mo. See
page 10 for workshop details.


Photo Caption:
Right: Nicola McPherson and Dan Hellmuth discuss production
strategies. Below: Production of Ozark Forest Mushrooms utilizes
only 5 of the owners’ 2,500 acres.   


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Landowner Spotlight

Lee Tree Farm succeeds with partnerships and focused goals

What started out as a rural retreat in 1989 is growing into a model
tree farm. John Lee and his wife, Cheryl, were looking for some
place away from the bustle of Kansas City where their family could
hunt and fish. Nearly 15 years ago they purchased 160 acres
northwest of Gallatin, Mo., and are now resident landowners of 320
acres in Davies County. However, it was not until 2000 when they
entered a partnership on an adjacent parcel of land that the Lees
began actively managing their woodlands. John notes, "It was at that
time that I noticed we had bought into a lot of fine timber. But,
some of the larger trees were beginning to die."

Not wanting to lose his forest, John contacted Missouri Department
of Conservation Resource Forester, Phil Sneed of the Chillicothe
office. In a general sense, John and Cheryl knew they placed a
premium on their trees, followed by a desire for wildlife and
recreation. Phil helped the Lees better define their goals and
outline a step-by-step management plan to achieve them in a manner
they could not only accomplish, but afford.

 Their plan calls for an array of land management activities across
the property. To help fund these projects, the Lees have combined
payments from Federal incentive programs with timber sale revenues.
Through the Wildlife Habitat Incentive Program (WHIP), they are
successfully bringing back quail by converting fescue fields into a
rich oasis of brood-rearing and foodbearing native forbs and warm
season grasses. "When we started," John said, "we were able to jump
up only two quail on the entire farm. Now, after just two years in
the WHIP program, we have eight well established coveys of quail."

Timber revenues have played a big part in implementing the Lee's
plan. "I have purchased the logs from the partnership just like I
would as if I was a logger," said John. Those dollars go back to the
partnership to fund management activities on the jointly owned land.
"The revenue that I have obtained from selling the graded lumber has
paid for the sawmill, dry kilns, planer, and shed."

Both John and Cheryl have taken advantage of numerous landowner
education opportunities. Through MU Extension's Master Tree Farmer
Short Course and the Missouri Forest Products Association's
Professional Timber Harvester Program, John employs Best Management
Practices (BMPs) during his timber harvests and confidently cuts
down large trees. The Conservation Department's burning seminars put
Cheryl's fear of burning down the woods to rest and demonstrated,
"that some textbook concepts really do work!"

What advice do the Lees have for landowners wanting to follow their
lead? "Bite off a small section" says John. "Go into an area and
say, 'Okay I can do so much today or so much this week'. Do that,
stand back and look at it. You'll be encouraged and then take on
another section." Cheryl adds, "I think it's important to stay
focused on how much you've done rather than how much needs to be
done. When you do that, it's a labor of love." To learn more about
John and Cheryl's woodland stewardship experiences, come to the 2005
Tree Farm Conference in Columbia. They will be participating in the
new Friday evening Landowner Information Exchange Session. For
conference information, contact Glenda Fry at the Missouri Forest
Products Association (573) 634-3252; or email glenda@moforest.org.

Photo Caption:
John Lee shares his diverse timber management experience with fellow
landowners during a field day. 


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Specialty Mushroom Workshop Dec. 3 - 4, 2004

Ramada Inn Conference Center
1100 Vandiver Dr.
Columbia, Mo  

Sponsored by The University of Missouri Center for Agroforestry; The
University of Missouri College of Agriculture, Food and Natural
Resources; Field and Forest Products; Ozark Forest Mushrooms

Who should attend? Anyone interested in learning the basics of
production and marketing techniques for specialty gourmet mushrooms
including shiitake, oyster, Stropharia and truffles. University of
Missouri research faculty members, professional mushroom growers and
marketers will provide participants with the knowledge needed to get
started with growing and marketing mushrooms. Exhibitors from the
industry will be on hand to provide information about mushroom
production supplies.

Workshop events include lectures on outdoor and indoor log
cultivation for shiitake mushrooms; University of Missouri progress
toward truffle cultivation; guided tour of the HARC mushroom
research area; log inoculation demonstration and an optional
Missouri specialty food and wine tasting.

Early registration deadline: Nov. 1. Fee is $59 per person for
Friday evening mixer and Saturday workshop, and an additional $25
for Saturday evening food and wine tasting event. Registration after
Nov. 1 is $69 per person. For a registration form and more
information, visit www.centerforagroforestry.org; or contact Julie
Rhoads, UMCA events coordinator, at (573) 882-3234; email
rhoadsj@missouri.edu.




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1st World Congress of Agroforestry addresses challenges, successes

The University of Missouri Center for Agroforestry played a key role
in the 1st World Congress of Agroforestry, held June 27-July 2,
2004, in Orlando Florida.
 
The event brought agroforestry researchers and professionals from 
more than 80 countries together to address the ongoing challenges and 
successses of agroforestry on both a local and a global level. 
The conference, titled "Working Together for Sustainable Land Use
Systems" represented two years of planning among a global organizing
committee of distinguished researchers and innovators of the
agroforestry field.

Gene Garrett, UMCA executive director, served on the World Congress
global committee and presided over the Science and Education in
Agroforestry congress plenary session.

Additional key speakers at the conference were Dr. P.K. Nair,
director of the Center for Subtropical Agroforestry at the
University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences.
Dr. Nair was chairman of the Global Organizing Committee and is also
a co-founder of the World Agroforestry Centre, Nairobi, Kenya.

Dr. Nair’s address called agroforestry "no longer a practice in
search of science" and cited a need for greater numbers of
university-trained professionals in agroforestry to share the
expanding body of scientific knowledge about agroforestry.

Dr. M.S. Swaminathan, acclaimed by Time magazine as one of the
twenty most influential Asians of the 20th century and described by
the United Nations as the "father of economic ecology," also
presented a keynote conference address. Dr. Swaminathan emphasized
the value of agroforestry in reconciling shortterm food and
livelihood needs with long-term environmental conseration on a
global scale.

"The first World Congress had an enormous impact on me personally
and led me to realize just how far agroforestry has come in the past
few decades," said Garrett. "The advantages of the age-old practice
of growing trees and crops together, which have been largely ignored
for so long because long because of a lack of scientific
underpinnings, are now being recognized and accepted. Today,
agroforestry is truly a science-based technology that offers both
poor and wealthy nations many opportunities, including the reduction
of poverty and providing ecosystem services. This congress
demonstrated to me that agroforestry has finally come of age."


Conference abstracts, summaries and photos are available at
www.conference.ifas.ufl.edu/ WCA/

Photo Caption:
Gene Garrett, UMCA executive director (left) and Michael Gold, UMCA
associate director (right) address conference attendees at the 1st
World Congress of Agroforestry in June in Florida. 

Photo Caption:
Gene Garrett (left) discusses agroforestry in the coming decades
with Surindar Hara, (right) from Haryana, India, at the 1st World
Congress in Florida. 


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The Back Page

Center for Agroforestry hosts Pre-Congress Tour of Midwestern
Agroforestry


Prior to the 1st World Congress of Agroforestry, a group of
twenty-four attendees representing 8 countries received a first-hand
look at agroforestry practices in the Midwest. The Pre-Congress Tour
of Midwestern Agroforestry Practices, coordinated by the Center for
Agroforestry, highlighted agroforestry demonstration areas and
landowner efforts across Missouri efforts across Missouri and Iowa
on June 23-25, 2004.

Tour stops in Iowa included the Iowa State University windbreak
practice demonstration area, Ogden; the Bear Creek Riparian Buffer
Demonstration area located near Story City; and Ben's Black Walnut
Orchards and processing facility, Centerville. In Missouri, tour
stops included the Deer Ridge, Henry Sever, and Ross Jones Farm
alley cropping practice demonstrations near Novelty; University of
Missouri Greenley Memorial Research Center; Shepherd Farms located
in Clifton Hill; and the pine straw, silvopasture, flood lab, clonal
trial and alley cropping demonstration areas at the University of
Missouri Horticulture and Agroforestry Research Center, New
Franklin, Mo.


Photo Caption:
Rosemary Lott, tour participant from Kingston, Australia, takes
notes on pine straw production at the HARC farm. 

Photo Caption:
Pre-Congress Tour participants explore the windbreak practice
demonstration area at Iowa State University. 

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Calendar of Upcoming Events

Oct. 30, 2004: "Realizing the Value of Trees in the Farming System"
Agroforestry Workshop and Field Tours, Southwest Research Center,
Mount Vernon, Mo. 8:30 - 4 p.m. Sponsored by the Missouri Farmers
Union and the Kansas Farmers Union, workshop discussions include
integrating forestry management on the farm; nuts as a growing
market; lease hunting as an additional income and non-timber
products. Fee: $8 if pre-registered; $10 at the door. For more
information see page 3 of Green Horizons or visit
www.missourifarmersunion.org .

Nov. 4-6, 2004: 12th National Small Farms Trade Show, Boone County
Fairgrounds, Columbia, Mo. For more information, visit
www.smallfarmtoday.com or call (800) 633-2535.

Nov. 5-6, 2004: Central Region Woodland Stewardship Conference, Lied
Conference Center, Nebraska City, Neb. Session topics include alley
cropping, woodlands for wildlife, handling and care of tree
seedlings, insect and disease updates and cedar management.
Registration before Oct. 29 is $35; after Oct. 29, registraion is
$40. For a registration brochure or information, contact Hank
Stelzer, extension forester, at (573) 882-4444 or email
stelzerh@missouri.edu

Dec. 3-4, 2004: Specialty Mushroom Workshop, Ramada Inn, Columbia,
Mo. Hosted by the Center for Agroforestry, this workshop presents
the basics of production and marketing techniques for specialty
gourmet mushrooms. Workshop events include lectures on outdoor and
indoor log cultivation for shiitake mushrooms; University of
Missouri progress toward truffle cultivation; a guided tour of the
HARC mushroom research area and a log inoculation demonstration. To
register, visit www.centerforagroforestry.org or contact Julie
Rhoads at (573) 882-3234. Additional details on page 10.

Dec. 12-14, 2004: Missouri Governor’s Conference on Agriculture,
Tan-Tar-A Resort, Osage Beach, Mo. For more information, visit
www.mda.mo.gov.

Feb. 2-4, 2005: Missouri Natural Resources Conference, Tan-Tar-A
Resort, Osage Beach, Mo. For more information, visit www.mnrc.org.

Feb. 25-26, 2005: Missouri Tree Farm Conference, Stoney Creek Inn,
Columbia, Mo. Contact Hank Stelzer at (573) 882-4444 or email
stelzerh@missouri.edu for more information.




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