Kind fired up over this

[darkthirty]

I enrolled part of my land with the EQIP program. More specifically, the Shortleaf Pine Initiative. Started planting them today! I’m kinda fortunate working for a university and their Wildlife and Fisheries Department where I basically have any information and guidance just a office away. A instructor who teaches a hands on wildlife management techniques class jumped at the opportunity to bring his class and plant the pines for me. We got all those in the ground today. Tomorrow, he is bringing his dendrology class to plant the 1100 native shrubs that are also in my management plan. I ordered the containerized shortleafs from international forestry (they have a higher survival rate than bare root seedlings) and ordered all my shrubs from the TN state nursery. I have, elderberry, staghorn sumac, southern crabapple, Chickasaw and American plum, indigo bush and American Hazelnut.
I never knew until today that I am the only landowner in two counties that’s participating in the shortleaf pine initiative. My NRCS biologist said she was gonna do a write up on my property and send it to the newspaper!
I always said when we we were looking for a farm, that I wanted no trees or woods so I could start with a blank slate and create a critter rich environment. Lol. I already have tons of deer and rabbits, turkeys all around me and also a handful of wild bobwhites. Can’t wait to see things progress in the coming years!!!!!

 

[woodmoose]

excellent,,,good luck with them

 

[curdog]

Good deal. I went the shortleaf route in my fields 4 years ago and they are starting to get their head up over the surrounding vegetation now. I planted them very wide to maintain the grass in the field so it wouldn't get shaded out as much as the trees continue to grow. I planted the plums along the borders as well. The quail are there periodically throughout the year and I now have an abundance of rabbits. I have burned through my pines once and spot sprayed herbicide around them as well. Good luck, shortleaf is one of my favorites and definitely gets overlooked. And you must have ordered seedlings early. I looked in all the surrounding states a few weeks ago for a guy and was able to find a total of 1000 seedlings out of SC, which was quite a bit short of what was needed... next year I guess.

 

[DRS]

I would be stoked too! Good luck.

 

[para4514]

Great opportunities for funding here in NC as well. Wish more folks would look at shortleaf to improve habitat and qualify for Present Use Tax valuation. I have seen great strides with shortleaf success as more containerized seedlings have become available over the last 3 or 4 years.

 

[darkthirty]

@curdog , I ordered the shortleafs back in June. I could’ve got bareroot seedlings from the east TN nursery, but all the literature said containerized have much better survivability and my management plan actually said plant the containerized. So I went with those. Half of them came out of south Georgie and the other half from somewhere in Louisiana.
We planted them on a 10 x10 spacing.
Pm me if you’re looking some for next year. I’ll give you the guys name and number.

 

[Lonehunter]

I may have missed it, what county is your property located in?

 

[darkthirty]

I may have missed it, what county is your property located in?

I’m in east TN.

 

[Mack in N.C.]

do you plan on burning these when they get to where they can be burned??? I am sure you know but shortleafs can take fire. Also, I just love the Bark Patterns on those big old shortleafs. One of my Favorite trees.

 

[darkthirty]

do you plan on burning these when they get to where they can be burned??? I am sure you know but shortleafs can take fire. Also, I just love the Bark Patterns on those big old shortleafs. One of my Favorite trees.

Mack I’m fully aware of the benefits but I’m not going to burn. I’d love to be able to, but the risk is not worth the reward as far as neighboring property goes. I Plan on mowing and/or disking.

 

[sky hawk]

Implementing a management plan is always exciting. Realizing the potential of the land. How many acres is your place total?

Why shortleaf? Can you explain the advantages over other species?

 

[Mack in N.C.]

I have plans soon to go and see the State Champion Shortleaf Pine. I dont know exact date as it may be when everything is flooded and fishing sucks but I know where it is and may do a video on it.

 

[curdog]

Implementing a management plan is always exciting. Realizing the potential of the land. How many acres is your place total?

Why shortleaf? Can you explain the advantages over other species?

Not to speak for dark thirty, but shortleaf has it's advantages and disadvantages compared to other southern yellow pine species. It handles ice and drought better than loblolly, and will sometimes resprout following fire due to having a basal crook that is absent in other pines. It will thrive on good quality soils, but can be competitive on poor sites and even have better growth rates on this dry rocky sites. Unlike loblolly, it resists stagnation and responds to thinning through a wider window of time. ( once loblolly growth slows, it's harder to get the growth increasing again). Less taper in the logs. More resistant to fusiform rust. Some disadvantages: slower growth rate for the first 20 years or so, but things should even out by year 40and shortleaf will win out from year 50 forward. Littleleaf disease is a concern in areas that are prone to it. Doesn't like really wet soils.
Overall I really like shortleaf and hope to see more planted in the future. We're losing shortleaf acreage every year and it's an important species with the widest range of all southern yellow pines.

 

[darkthirty]

Implementing a management plan is always exciting. Realizing the potential of the land. How many acres is your place total?

Why shortleaf? Can you explain the advantages over other species?

I’ve only got 6 acres in it. The main reason I went with shortleafs is they’re the closest kin to the long leaf. Haha. Very few shortleafs left in my area of east TN. There are few west of here up on plateau, but very few left around here. Plus, I was just about guaranteed to get approval due to no one else doing it where as there was a long waiting list for crp. They tolerate ice a lot better than the other pines as well.

 

[Mack in N.C.]

You have probably thought of this but something cool would be is to take 2 pictures every year (summer and winter) with the camera in the exact same position and then after so many years you could make a video out of the pictures and show the progression.

 

[darkthirty]

You have probably thought of this but something cool would be is to take 2 pictures every year (summer and winter) with the camera in the exact same position and then after so many years you could make a video out of the pictures and show the progression.

Yessir I have. My biggest problem will be remembering to do it. Haha
I spent better part of yesterday marking every shrub with surveyor tape. Got about half done (600 marked). I did that because I’m gonna keep rows mowed this spring summer. I followed all my herbicide guidelines but still have a ton of thistle that I don’t want to get any worse than it already is.

 

[Mack in N.C.]

The Tract Where I Fox squirrel Hunt is of course Longleafs but there is one Shortleaf that is in with the Longleafs. for years it amazed me it was there until I learned of the shortleafs ability to handle fire. Also, a lot of those Pine around Kenan Stadium are big Shortleafs.

 

[shotgunner]

I worked in the timber industry from early 90's until 2005. Everyone talked about multi use management until it was time to make decisions. Then it was all about the $. Really great to see someone truly managing their land. I would still be in the timber industry if there had been more landowners like you.