Tree planting time!!

[OmenHonkey]

Are you hand planting?

Heck naw... lol

 

[OmenHonkey]

Tree planter has arrived. I think i'm gonna go with a 6 x 12 spacing. Hope to planting saturday morning!!

 

[curtisj]

Tree planter has arrived. I think i'm gonna go with a 6 x 12 spacing. Hope to planting saturday morning!!

6 x 12 spacing will get you about 605 trees per acre

 

[Longhorn 16]

That’s the spacing I used and it looks perfect for my plans moving forward.

 

[Eudora]

Just my opinion but if your growing the trees for an eventual maximum harvest for your dollar I would plant them and let them grow (it being a pasture means the competition with the trees is already low and the soil should be top notch for the tree). Start your burn program in the years to come. At that time you will get the best of both worlds for wildlife....Browse for the deer and no competition for the trees. Considering its an old pasture you should have 20 acres of high dollar pine trees in 22 to 25 years which would equals about $50000 plus for 20 acres in timber or more based on todays prices.

I just did this on 25 acres of old field/pasture two years ago. The trees are growing like crazy with the rain we have had. The undergrowth is not overly thick and has broomsedge and switch grass that has sprouted throughout. Its fairly clean. The deer have started using it but do not feel comfortable just yet moving through it as the trees are only 5-6 feet tall right now. I think next year they will feel much more comfortable using it during the day as a travel route. I left 1.5 acres that borders a hardwood branch open for a food plot on the backside of the trees. It just depends on your final goal. Here is an aerial of how I laid it out with the clover plot as well.

May want to invest those dollars a little more wisely than planting pines for an investment. The ROI after 22-25 years for $50K ..... well may want to plant trees for recreational fun instead. Our first cut on 62 acres of planted pines didn't net near that much. Pine Beatles, drought and fluctuating prices, I think I should have invested those dollars in some Tech Stocks instead. Just say'in ..

 

[treemanjohn]

May want to invest those dollars a little more wisely than planting pines for an investment. The ROI after 22-25 years for $50K ..... well may want to plant trees for recreational fun instead. Our first cut on 62 acres of planted pines didn't net near that much. Pine Beatles, drought and fluctuating prices, I think I should have invested those dollars in some Tech Stocks instead. Just say'in ..

I've never seen where the juice was worth the squeeze personally. Personally I would plant fruit or nut tree if I wanted to try and make a few bucks off the land. I would go oaks, fruit and beech for hunting land

 

[ryanh487]

If you keep the ground clean under the pines you'll be able to collect pinestraw in about 7 years. Might be a little cash in that until the trees are ready to harvest.

 

[aaron batson]

I planted 10 Nuttall oaks, 10 more AU Buck IV chestnuts, and 10 Chinese chestnuts yesterday... all caged too

 

[OmenHonkey]

May want to invest those dollars a little more wisely than planting pines for an investment. The ROI after 22-25 years for $50K ..... well may want to plant trees for recreational fun instead. Our first cut on 62 acres of planted pines didn't net near that much. Pine Beatles, drought and fluctuating prices, I think I should have invested those dollars in some Tech Stocks instead. Just say'in ..

It is more for recreational use. I've spent 1000.00 on trees and maybe a 100.00 on fuel. I'm 44 so i may see them thinned or maybe even cut but it never was about the money for me. It was a 20 acre pasture that's been sitting for 2 years ( I sold all my cattle) I ain't gonna mow it all summer so i did this. I already have 30 acres of pecan trees and don't want anymore. Lol. I plan on planting fruit trees and Oaks around the perimeter. I left a 50' path around 3 sides just for this and food plots. I have a lot of other timber also thats between 10 and 25 years old. I hope this improves my farm and the bedding available for a healthy deer herd.

 

[rstallings1979]

May want to invest those dollars a little more wisely than planting pines for an investment. The ROI after 22-25 years for $50K ..... well may want to plant trees for recreational fun instead. Our first cut on 62 acres of planted pines didn't net near that much. Pine Beatles, drought and fluctuating prices, I think I should have invested those dollars in some Tech Stocks instead. Just say'in ..

To each his own. It depends on location as well for the timber. The highest timber bid on 51 acres from a cut last year on a cousins farm was 136,000. The second highest bid was 132,300. This was good timber of course. I agree that you have to worry about the natural elements as well like bugs and weather but the market isn't exactly great with ROI these days as well. You could get lucky and find a diamond in the rough like an Amazon or Apple but chances are you could be spinning your wheels. What if I go to retire in 25 years and the market takes a crazy downturn. There are so many different factors that come into play with the market as well.

You think my investment of $225 an acre on 25 acres last year (roughly $5700) would have been better spent investing in tech stocks or the market? I do invest in the market and I recently saw my Synovus stock go from $55 a share to low 30s in a matter of a few weeks (that's just an example...many more I own took a tumble as well). It also took 3 years to get from the low 30s to $55 a share but 3 months to get back to the low 30s.

If I took that $5700 and put it in market and somehow generated a 5% return it would grow to $20,000 in 25 years. If I was lucky enough to get 7% return it would grow to $33,000 roughly. Getting a 7% avg return in this market isn't easy. When I go to cut the trees in 25 years I fully expect to have generated at least $40,000 off that particular planting and that is shooting low. Timber is diversification in my opinion and if you have the ability to put trees in the ground you should do so.

Also you mentioned a first cut...were you referring to a thin on the 62 acres? Just trying to get clarification.

 

[Eudora]

To each his own. It depends on location as well for the timber. The highest timber bid on 51 acres from a cut last year on a cousins farm was 136,000. The second highest bid was 132,300. This was good timber of course. I agree that you have to worry about the natural elements as well like bugs and weather but the market isn't exactly great with ROI these days as well. You could get lucky and find a diamond in the rough like an Amazon or Apple but chances are you could be spinning your wheels. What if I go to retire in 25 years and the market takes a crazy downturn. There are so many different factors that come into play with the market as well.

You think my investment of $225 an acre on 25 acres last year (roughly $5700) would have been better spent investing in tech stocks or the market? I do invest in the market and I recently saw my Synovus stock go from $55 a share to low 30s in a matter of a few weeks (that's just an example...many more I own took a tumble as well). It also took 3 years to get from the low 30s to $55 a share but 3 months to get back to the low 30s.

If I took that $5700 and put it in market and somehow generated a 5% return it would grow to $20,000 in 25 years. If I was lucky enough to get 7% return it would grow to $33,000 roughly. Getting a 7% avg return in this market isn't easy. When I go to cut the trees in 25 years I fully expect to have generated at least $40,000 off that particular planting and that is shooting low. Timber is diversification in my opinion and if you have the ability to put trees in the ground you should do so.

Also you mentioned a first cut...were you referring to a thin on the 62 acres? Just trying to get clarification.

It was a thin. I agree ALL investments are risky, but too many parties are involved with tree harvests. The issue that hurt us was the closest mill to us stopped accepting timber. Had to go to another accepting mill much further away which cuts into your profits. Cell tower rental would be a better return !

 

[aaron batson]

Checked my chestnuts - they are looking good