Until recently there was little demand for bottomland hardwood (blhw) seedlings. Tree nurseries, with few exceptions, were pine nurseries. Hardwood stands developed largely through natural regeneration. But in recent decades the clearing of blhw tracts for agriculture and other intensive uses, especially in the Lower Mississippi River Valley (LMRV), set the stage for a very different scenario – large-scale reforestation of lands unsuitable for the readily available pine seedlings. The reforestation efforts were set in motion by federal programs such as USDA’s Wetlands Reserve Program (WRP), established in the 1990 Farm Bill, and, to a lesser extent, the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) and others. The programs themselves grew out of recognition that many of the previously cleared lands were better suited as wetland habitat than for agriculture. Now there was a demand for hardwood seedlings and few nurseries were prepared to supply those seedlings.

Somewhat coincidental with blhw clearing in the LMRV, Booker T. Whatley, then at Tuskegee University, was writing articles about the need for owners of small farms to diversify their crops. He was among the first to tell us that this was a way to guard against financial disaster in the event of one or two crop failures. No single crop could be the crop to carry the small farm’s success or failure. Each crop offered a way to spread the risks inherent to farming – if one crop failed, the success of others helped to make up for that loss.

The purpose of this paper then, is to discuss the implications of hardwood seedling production for small farms in the context of an additional crop that has the potential for good returns on a small acreage. The paper will include a brief discussion of the history and scope of the WRP, an overview of nursery operations, and will conclude with a description of a pilot outreach project for operators of small farms.

The Wetland Reserve Program

The WRP is a major long-term wetland restoration program that was included in the 1990 Farm Bill. USDA was authorized to enroll and restore nearly one million acres of wetlands on private lands under permanent easements, 30-year easements or 10-year cost-share agreements. The NRCS is responsible for delivering and administering the program. Since 1992, USDA has enrolled more than 665,000 acres on over 3,700 WRP tracts in 36 states. Nearly 40 percent of the currently enrolled area is in the LMRV.

The goal of the WRP in the LMRV is to restore wetland functions and values on former wetlands on the agricultural landscape. This is being accomplished through conservation practices aimed at restoration of wetland hydrology and vegetation that maximizes wildlife benefits and other wetland functions (Heard, et al, 1999).

NRCS is placing greater emphasis on the use of bare root seedlings in the LMRV because of failures that occurred through the direct seeding of acorns. Also, their specifications for seedlings used in the LMRV have been upgraded to ensure that only high-quality seedlings are used and that handling and planting procedures enhance survivability. While seedling nurseries do best on upland soils, the seeds need to be collected in bottomland areas to assure that the seedlings are genetically adapted for the soils in which they will be planted. Greater emphasis is being placed now on planting a variety of tree species adapted to specific site conditions. On wetter sites, species to be planted include nuttall oak (Quercus nuttallii), willow oak (Q. phellos), green ash (Fraxinus pennsylvanica), baldcypress (Taxodium distichum), overcup oak (Q. falcata), shumard oak (Q. shumardii), red maple (Acer rubrum), persimmon (Diospyros virginiana), and sweet gum (Liquidambar styraciflua) and others (Heard, et al, 1999).

Nursery Operations

An RC&D Nursery was established recently at Rayville, Louisiana, in part to serve as a demonstration site for small farm operators in the Northeast Delta Area. This six-acre facility has just completed its first seedling harvest. Specialized equipment for the operation includes an acorn planter, a bed shaper, a special harvester (lifter), and a cooler for storing acorns and seedlings. They produced 100,000 seedlings per acre and sold them for an average price of 19 cents each – a gross return of $19,000 per acre. NRCS specifications require that seedling stems measure 3/8 of an inch in diameter at the root crown, that there be five or more lateral roots, and a root mass at least eight inches in depth. Properly maintained seedlings meet those specifications within a year after planting. The seedlings at Rayville were planted in the Spring of 1998 and harvested in late January and February of 1999. Most of the hardwood seedlings produced today are purchased by agencies like NRCS, the FWS, or partners such as Ducks Unlimited.

Implications for Small Farm Operations

Clearly some expensive equipment is needed to produce hardwood seedlings. This factor, along with some projection of demand should be considered carefully by interested farmers – as they do for any crop. A study, funded by NRCS, is now underway to assess the profitability of seedling production for small farms in terms of current and future demand, the acreage planted, and whether the necessary equipment has to be purchased initially or can be provided through a cooperative or some other means. Results of this study will be available in late summer of 1999.

An outreach approach, planned for the coming year, is to invite about three small farm operators, RC&D personnel, and other interested individuals from an adjacent RC&D in Arkansas and one in Mississippi to a field day at the Rayville Nursery. This two-day exercise will expose individuals to the nursery operations, provide presentations by knowledgeable nurserymen, and give them time for one-on-one discussions. The hope is that this experience, coupled with results of the feasibility study, will generate interest among the participants sufficient to develop similar projects in their own community.

References

Heard, Pete L., Rewa, Charles A., Misso, Robert, & Melvin, Norman. (In Press). An Overview of the Natural Resources Conservation Service’s Efforts in Bottomland Hardwood Restoration. In Ecology and Management of Bottomland Hardwood Systems: The State of Our Understanding. March 10 – 13, 1999, Memphis, TN.

Mailing address for the author: U.S. FWS-NRCS, Wildlife Habitat Management Institute, 1010 Gause Blvd., Bldg. 936, Slidell, LA 70458

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