Green Horizons

A $750 check for undergraduate education is presented by Scott Brundage, Walnut Council, to Gene Garrett, interim director, MU School of Natural Resources. The award is part of a matching gift opportunity sponsored through the MU College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources. From left: Dusty Walter, UMCA Technology Transfer Specialist; Scott Brundage, past Walnut Council chair; Gene Garrett; and Harlan Palm, Walnut Council vice president.

As past Missouri Chapter Chair of The Walnut Council and Other Fine Hardwoods Association, I personally invite you to join our fast-growing organization and gain access to some of the best information available to forest landowners with a serious interest in properly managing their woodlands. Becoming a member is a win-win-win situation. How?

Win #1: Make money. Quality timber is worth many times more dollars than low-value, unmanaged timber. For example, the best black walnut veneer butt logs I sold last year brought $10 per board foot and the best white oak brought $4 per board foot "on the stump" (the dollar amount that you the landowner receives). Low-value pallet and blocking timber averaged a mere 8 cents per board foot. Plus, a managed forest increases the value of your land. Remember, you are going to do one of two things with your land: keep it or sell it. Through active management you increase the value of both options.

Win #2: Save money. Here are just three ways joining The Walnut Council can save you money in managing your woodlands.

• A $50 discount on professional forestry services (marketing timber, preparing management plans, tree planting, pruning and other timber stand improvement practices) from consulting foresters who are Walnut Council members
• Discounts on chemicals used in timber stand improvement and weed control in plantations
• 10% discount on all Stihl equipment (chain saws, pole pruners, weed eaters, leaf blowers, pruners, axes, etc) at selected locations in Columbia, St. Louis, Kansas City, and Spring- field, Missouri. These benefits can save a landowner much more than the annual $30 Walnut Council membership dues.

Win #3: Leverage money. With member support, the Missouri Chapter of The Walnut Council leveraged a dollar- for-dollar matching-gift opportunity through the MU College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources (CAFNR) that generated $1,500 for undergraduate research and education in the MU School of Natural Resources.

Some of the most valuable trees in the United States grow right here in Missouri (Black walnut, white and red oak, black cherry, to name a few). The potential for excellent timber income is in your own back forty if you plan and manage for it. Good timber management encourages wildlife, particularly deer and turkey; provides recreational opportunities; and improves water quality.

Through attending Walnut Council field days, reading the up-to-date literature, getting answers from experienced members, and completing management practices in your own woods (by you, a trained crew or both), you will start to achieve the full production potential you dream of.

Please join us by sending your $30 payment to the new Walnut Council International headquarters office: Attention: Liz Jackson, Executive Director, John S. Wright Forestry Center, Purdue University Dept. of Forestry, 1011 N. 725 W, West Lafayette IN 47906-9431. Telephone: (765) 583-3501. You may also visit our website at www.walnutcouncil.org and join online.

Thanks, and I look forward to seeing you at the May 7th field day! (See calendar on last page for details).