Tree Farmers
Thread Starter
|
Admom
Joined: Feb 2001
Posts: 9,414
Likes: 201
From: Silver Springs
Tree Farmers
The area our property is in requires a min. of 10 acres - we have a few more than that. No house, no power, no water and is about 4 hours north of us. That's why we want to do trees - they don't take the care and maintenance that live critters would need. We can feed and tend to them when we go up once a month or so. Watering during non-rainy season is not a problem - a pump, generator and 1 acre of pond will handle that. There's already plenty of pine & oak on the property but about 7 acres has brush, some small scrub pines and mertles.
Oaks with a 2" to 5" trunks sell for a real decent price. Beginning them now would give us a decent, marketable crop in 10 to 20 years. Growing pines from seedlings would have about the same growth span for them to be marketable.
I was thinking that they should be planted 15' to 20' apart but haven't been able to find any factual info yet. I'm still looking, asking and calling to find this info.
Thanks for all your comments. (Well, almost all of them
.)
Oaks with a 2" to 5" trunks sell for a real decent price. Beginning them now would give us a decent, marketable crop in 10 to 20 years. Growing pines from seedlings would have about the same growth span for them to be marketable.
I was thinking that they should be planted 15' to 20' apart but haven't been able to find any factual info yet. I'm still looking, asking and calling to find this info.
Thanks for all your comments. (Well, almost all of them
.)
Posting Guru
Joined: Jun 1999
Posts: 2,007
Likes: 0
From: Oregon
Tree Farmers
I think 15 to 20 feet apart would be about right. You want to be able to drive through your, "crop", without scratching up your rig or running over the roots. Since the roots extend out approx. the same diameter as the branches, this 15' + figure is great.
Fruit bearing orchards typically have a wider spread with the branches pruned short, low and wide to ease the harvest, but you don't have to worry about that.
While you're still in the planning phase, why not think about multiple crops? Maybe some pines along one side of the property for a windblock or a plot set out for noble firs for Chistmas trees.
I don't know what the growing conditions are like there. Here, you can plant just about anything and it grows - fast. I'm a little spoiled.
Anyway, as far as the tax folks are concerned, they could care less whether your a great farmer or an OK farmer. Just as long as the great-grandkids don't shake their heads when they look at the mature orchard.
Fruit bearing orchards typically have a wider spread with the branches pruned short, low and wide to ease the harvest, but you don't have to worry about that.
While you're still in the planning phase, why not think about multiple crops? Maybe some pines along one side of the property for a windblock or a plot set out for noble firs for Chistmas trees.
I don't know what the growing conditions are like there. Here, you can plant just about anything and it grows - fast. I'm a little spoiled.
Anyway, as far as the tax folks are concerned, they could care less whether your a great farmer or an OK farmer. Just as long as the great-grandkids don't shake their heads when they look at the mature orchard.
Junior User
Joined: Mar 2003
Posts: 65
Likes: 0
Tree Farmers
We planted 10,000 mixed hardwood and white pine seedlings on our newly-purchased 23 acres 5 years ago to start our tree farm. We were advised 8' spacing, but this is Ohio and it seems to me that pictures I've seen of southern live oaks show a hugely spreading crown. It also sounds like you're not gonna have to worry about it- one way or another.
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post
stu37d
General NON-Automotive Conversation
14
Jul 8, 2007 10:59 PM
