30 acres of empty farmland?

[Lazarus]

I just acquired 30 additional acres of relatively flat farmland in far southwestern Ohio. Unfortunately, there is not a single maple tree on it. It's currently planted in soybeans and has been rotated between beans and corn for probably 60 years. The land has been planted using no-till methods for the last five years. Total kill herbicide was sprayed before the beans were planted this year.

I'm planning to change it over to maple woods. Planning to order 2 year old sugar maple seedlings (with some reds thrown in) from Clements state nursery to be planted in the spring (approx quantity 1000-1500 but dependent on spacing). Planning to use Grow Tubes for deer protection.

I'm also looking for a distributor for about 500 silver seedlings for a few wetter areas of the land, (St. Lawrence is out of stock already). Silvers because I would like to actually have some farm income from some of these trees in my lifetime. We mostly tap silvers in this area, as we are so very far south and they are far more prolific than sugars. Our winters are mild and short, soil tends to be heavy clay, and our silvers grow FAST.

Any thoughts on spacing? I prefer *not* to thin later. I've gotten conflicting advice, anywhere from 10 ft to 30 ft. Should I plant a winter cover crop to fix nitrogen in the soil? What should I plant as a permanent cover that will provide minimal competition with the seedlings but help with erosion and be low maintenance? Should the fields be turned and disked before planting, or is compacted soil better to hold off the weeds?

We've been consulting with Ohio's Dept of Natural Resources, but they seem a bit more experienced in managing existing woodlands than planting new seedlings over recently active farm fields. I've also had a bit of conflicting advice between the nursery and the state.

Sorry, I know that's a lot of questions. Any suggestions much appreciated!

-Lazarus
300+ taps on bags
Desperate to grow but trees are scarce!
Leader 2x6 Oil fired
New sugarhouse (just finished)

[happy thoughts]

I expect you're going to have to do some thinning no matter what, especially if you want to develop the most productive trees with the highest sugar content. Here's a guide from UVM re sugarbush management. Though it is not specific to your exact situation where you are starting from scratch, it may answer some of your questions.
http://www.uvm.edu/~uvmaple/silviculturalguide1974.pdf

This guide states 80-100 well spaced mature trees/acre is the goal. They also recommend testing trees as they mature to help cull out the less sweet trees.

[Indiana-Jones]

Hi Lazarus,

Congratulations on the acquisition of the acreage. You can't hardly go wrong on investing in land.

I'm interested in your maple plantation project, we have some ground that was a apple orchard years ago. Now we cut hay. Looking to maybe plant some Maples too.

Did you see the research that Dr. Tim and others have been doing at UVM Proctor Maple Research Ctr? Topping 4-5 inch saplings and using vacuum to remove sap from the top of the trunk.
http://mapletrader.com/community/showthread.php?21886-Dr.-Tim-s-study-on-Maple-saplings&highlight=tapping+saplings

I'm thinking about trying the new tree topping technique on a few acres that are hard to get to.

Just a thought, you might try it on a couple of acres, along with the traditional sugar bush planting. Maybe you will get to make some syrup from your new land in 5 or 6 years.

Chris

[RC Maple]

Lazarus -

Sounds like you have a fun project. As far as spacing goes since you aren't limited, I would go 30 ft spacings. For ground cover, that depends on how you are going to maintain it from now on. Are you going to mow it or try to let some taller grass grow (a DOT roadside mix or a CRP type mix)? I think you would want to do that before you have to dodge a bunch of new seedlings. Since it's in beans you won't have a bunch of fodder on the surface and could just have the mix no-tilled. Since you have already been in contact with the ODNR, have you talked with the NRCS as well? They may be better suited to offer advice on ground that doesn't look like a forest yet. Good luck to you.

[Cabin]

First you have to plant ground cover to hold the soil until your trees take over. Find something that will take both sun and shade.

Not sure if I would go for silvers based on what people are saying about them. Since you are starting with nothing maybe you would think about mixing in walnut trees to avoid a monoculture wood lot. Walnuts are a good crop and it seems the trees can be tapped as well. The trees will reseed and you will be forced to thin out the woods eventually. Not all trees are created equal and you will get 'runts' that should be removed.

[Homespun]

Apparently Silver Maples are sensitive to the toxic Juglone produced by Black Walnut tree roots, leaves and nuts. Read more here:
http://ohioline.osu.edu/hyg-fact/1000/1148.html

[gmcooper]

Sounds like quite project ahead you. With only 1000-1500 seedlings to start with you are looking at under 10 acres. I would seed enough land for the trees ordered with a conservation mix next spring. I would keep renting the crop ground till you can plant it to trees. You might watch how the first plants work out over a couple years before committing the entire parcel to maples. You might have a very successful start or you may find conditions less than ideal for starting a maple plantation. There will be some losses, hopefully a minimal number but there is the possibility of high mortality as at least around here sugar maple seedlings do not fair well in full sun.
Best of luck with this project.

[sirsapsalot]

Sell it for 4k+ an acre to a corn and soybean farmer and buy 60+ acres of maples for 2k- per acre.

[Cabin]

I am concerned about the herbicide. While they are all designed to be short term planting maples a year after may be a problem or not. Maybe Dr. Tim has an idea about that.

[collinsmapleman2012]

to establish a good sugarwoods, your goal is about 100 taps per acre, and losses will be made up by growth and crown size of surrounding trees. an acre, 43560 sq. ft., gives each tree a space of 435 square feet, which measures a little over a 20 ft. spacing. so, if you space your trees every 20 feet, you will have a decent establishment

[Lazarus]

Wow, lots of good advice!

Our local ODNR rep is coming out tomorrow, so I hope he can give some good pointers too. I was planning originally to sow grass right before planting, but the nursery said absolutely not, and no fescues either, as they will out-compete the seedlings. I may very well put down a CRP-type mix first though, which I assume you mean natural grasses and such. Regarding CRP, I hope the ODNR rep can also advise, as I can't seem to figure out exactly what that program is. I see the website, I have read the website, and it doesn't exactly say anywhere just what the program is.

I was thinking about an acre or two of the tree-topping method, but it sounds like that still has a bit to go in research. Plus I really don't want to kill 6000 trees, rip out 6000 stumps and start again every few years. As far as planting the entire batch at once, I'm not getting any younger. You know the saying - best time to plant a tree is 20 years ago. Second best time is now. The trees are only 55 cents each from the grower, so the cost is very manageable.

I love sirsapsalot's reply. Ah, if it were only that easy! Maples don't grow on trees around here in the south. :lol: It's uncommon to find that many maples in woods here. Ash, hickory, hackberry, and oak are prevalent. Sometimes you get lucky, but the nearest stand I found was an hour away and was still $4K an acre. I did find a property for sale 10 minutes away that had about 120 silver maples on it. That was a 14 acre parcel and was listed for $150K. Finding land 1) for sale, 2) close by, 3) affordable, and 4) with enough maples for a tubing system, is like the odds of winning the lottery. My best chance is to find something I can lease for a while - but it will still probably be near an hour's drive to find enough maples on it.

I'll let you all know what the ODNR rep says ....

[fisheatingbagel]

Good luck with your efforts! You are very dedicated. What part of Ohio are you in? I'm in Louisville, KY and suspect we have similar stands of trees as you. Regarding maples, I think Silver are most common, followed by Red then Black and Sugar maple. It's pretty unusual to find a woodland with a sizable number of Sugar maples. I live next to an annex of about 300 acres owned by the University of Louisville. They have a most wonderful stand of sugar maples on the campus, and tried to convince them to let me tap the trees, but was turned down ;-(

Good luck, and keep us updated!

[treeguy]

Interesting and i hope it works for you.

Here in my neck of the woods South Central KY we have lots of sugar maples as they took over the hill sides once logged of oak and hickory. Seldom do i see a silver it seems.


Good luck! happy Planting

[Tom_saw]

Can you get Eqip money from the USDA for your maple planting ? Ask the state forester or call the NRCS in Lebanon about it . I got money last year for an acre of Sugar Maples . Paid for the trees and tubes And the brush control . I would tend to seed the field with a grass cover and then burn down strips to plant in with roundup or or other contact herbicide and then plant the seedlings . Could you get the farmer to drill your cover crop in for you ? Are you going to plant the trees this spring ? I'm over in Owensville . Tom

[maple flats]

Before planting check around to see if all 3 grow naturally in your area. If any, sugar, reds or silvers don't grow nearby, you may need to find out why. If the surrounding farms have all 3 naturally you can likely grow all 3. If you are planting, I'd plant a 2x the final density or even more, then to thin do the sapling harvest developed by Dr. Tim and others. If memory serves me, I think they cut saplings off at 2-3" diam, but maybe 4-5 on some is correct. Before the first cutting sapling harvest, plant more near the sapling to be cut, it will shoot up quickly after it's neighbor is cut. I even think the sapling harvest was designed for a much more dense planting, like 3-4000/acre. Certainly a heavy investment if you can't find grant money.