Pond Boss Forums INTRO Questions & Observations Tree Planting under USDA program

Shortly after purchasing our property in East Texas, we contacted the USDA during the summer of 2007 for recommendation as to the best use of property while keeping the Ag exemption for property taxes. We didn't want to have livestock and didn't think that hay production would be best for our needs.

The local agents were very helpful and we settled on planting about 35 of our 62 acres in Loblolly pines. It took several months for the approval process which was completed early 2008, which was too late to arrange for that winter's planting. Under their program, they will cost share about 50% of the cost

The planters arrived this week and were able to plant all 25,000 trees in a day and half using the mechanical planter. Two ladies ran the equipment, one driving the D4 Cat and the other one feeding the seedings into the conveyor in the planter trailer.

The planter has a cutting wheel, followed by a chisel blade that creates a furrow and then the small conveyor belt that places the tree into the furrow. The last step is two tires at the rear set in a v-configuration to close up the furrow.

The rows are about 10' apart and the trees are then spaced about 6', which should be 729 trees per acre.

In another month, workers will spot spray a herbicide on each tree to kill the other vegetation. This will be done with back pack sprayers as they walk the fields.

Then I'll have to wait 20+ years for the harvest. Here are some pictures of the planting.

http://s269.photobucket.com/albums/jj48/outdoors57/Tree%20Planting/?albumview=slideshow

Lots of loblolly pine plantations in the area I am looking to buy property in VA. Not sure what the value of the timber is going for these days...

Neat pictures. Is a D4 really neccessary to pull that thing?

Good job, LL.
We did a MUCH smaller project spring '07. We used the WHIP program
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To date, most everything planted has been browsed by deer...including the presumably "deer browse resistant" norway spruce.

Larry what other options did they give you? I have cows now but am gettin tired of them. I wonder if pine tress would grow where I live?

CJBS timber prices are down due to fewer houses being built. Good thing about timber you can just let it grow unless you are thinning

The Dec '08 stumpage prices for timber in NE Texas for Sawlogs was $38.55/ton or $287.94/1,000 board feet (MBD) and Pulpwood was $11.37/ton or $30.43/cord. The Ag agent estimated that in 15 years we should see 25 cords/acre of Pulpwood, which would be $760/acre. I did not understand if this was a thinning with potential Sawlogs remaining for additional harvest in later years or clear-cutting. As you can see the value of Sawlogs is more than 3 time that of pulpwood.

They did not need the D4 Cat for our property as it is gentle slopes and I had mowed and pulled out the 4" to 8" trees that had grown wild in one pasture. Other parts of East Texas which they plant has sharp ravines, rocks and some have been previously timbered. Evidently the worker sitting in the Planting trailer gets a heck of a ride on some of their jobs. They said ours was a piece of cake.

We did not discuss other options with the agent, I think that we were on the Western edge of the soil that is appropriate for pines. If your local Ag agents are as nice as the ones we worked with, they should be able to give you some good advice.

And Brettski, I hope ours survive the beavers and the few deer we have. And the grandkids driving our tractors and the 4 wheelers.

I don't kow about Loblolly but around here species like white pine with long tender needles are nothing but browse for deer when you plant them. I have found the trees we plant close to the highway seem to do ok, the farther fromthe road the less they handle the deer munching on them. I have a smaller 3 point hitch planter we use with a tractor and put a 1000 or so trees in every year depending on what I can locate, I get them trhoug the state for free. Using a crawler tractor would allow slope work as well as traversing wet ground in early spring and not getting stuck as with wheel tractors which sink, hence the dozer. Around here, the long needle pines get eaten quickly, the Norway spruce and White spruce with short needles not so much. I'd like to know about what sort of herbicide they use that can be sprayed directly on the the trees but only kills the grass, that would be handy. My trees always compete with existing grass for survival. Hope you reap untold wealth from your trees Larry. I have stands of oak, both red and white, black walnut, hybrid poplar, White spruce, Norway spruce, Red pine, White pine, Douglass Fir, Black Cherry, and a few others for brouse and deer cover like silky dogwood, highbush cranberry, apple trees of various kinds, pretty much anything. I also have 16 blight resistant American chestnut trees started and a small lot of Blue Spruce for future christmas trees.

Yeah, I have seen timber prices dropped that last few years... In the early 2000's, timber was pricey! My dad made a killing on the timber harvest we did on our hunting land in PA.

White spruce is the only pine that we have found to be mildly deer resistent. They are hitting all of our stuff hard this year. Do these lobloly pines require irrigation?

Loblolly pines are adapted to sandy coastal plain soils, so I doubt they require irrigation. The non native Austrian and Scottish pines seem to be deer resistant. Deer when hungry will eat just about anything though...

The USDA and other government agencies have programs to get pasture and cropland out of rotation. I had no pasture so no chance at that money. Loblolly is mostly a pulp wood, grows to fast with big rings to make good lumber. It can make good lumber if you let it compete some and grow it longer. Timber prices tanked since the beginning of the year. I know of some people only getting $5/ton for pulp and a lot of mills are not taking sawlogs. I'm sure in 20 years things will be different.