Tree Farm

by Craig Wallin If you own a few acre, consider becoming a tree farmer. It’s earth-friendly and more profitable than you might imagine when you grow high-value trees. Traditional tree farms are much like a plantation with one primary crop, saw and pulp logs. In the South, most tree farmers grow loblolly pines, in the Northwest, douglas fir and elsewhere a variety of evergreen and deciduous trees grown primarily for pulp and lumber. To succeed and profit as a tree farmer today, it is important to shift from commodity trees that take years to grow and pay little, to planting, growing and harvesting ‘niche’ trees that can produce more income faster. You need trees that are : Easy to grow – Choose trees that can be planted with low up-front costs and low maintenance and harvest costs. In most instances, that means native trees, the species that grow naturally in your region. Fast growing – A stand of Douglas fir, for example, takes about 50 years to grow to timber harvest size,