Which conifer

[Pete and Jesse]

I have about 20 acres of unused farm land that I want to plant to trees.  Any suggestions on which conifer to plant for future timber in Central NYS. 

[Jason_AliceMae Farms]

Pete and Jesse - I just went through this spring and planted a few acres  with about 2000 Norway Spruce (the deer have pretty much left them alone).  I have many acres of mixed hardwoods and I already had a small 1 acre or so plot of Norway Spruce that I like.

I would suggest talking to the local DEC Forester they were very helpful to me.  I also have the name of another commercial forester that has been helping me with information and will be doing up a management plan for me that is inline with my goals.

My biggest suggestion would be to think long term what you want to do with the entire property not just the trees, that was the best advice I got and helped me decided a lot on what and where I wanted to plant (i.e. plans for food plots, a few fruit tree stands, future timber, shade for the pond, 4-wheeler and walking trails, etc.) Feel free to PM me if you want and I can send you the number of the private forester that I had come take a look at my property and give me some advice.  He will also do the planting for you if you want, I wanted to do my own planting for the enjoyment and have my hand work my land.

I am in the Southern Teir by the way in Steuben County.

[Pete and Jesse]

Thanks, Jason_AliceMae Farms, I currently have about 10 acres of Norway Spruce, part of a larger parcel this has some good hardwood growth on it,  that was planted 45 years ago for Christmas trees.  They are now 40-50  feet tall and not very good for christmas trees.
Near these trees is some hilly old unused pasture that I want to fill in with something that will be fairly fast growing and marketable for timber.
My long term plan for the property is timber production.  Ideally these planted trees will be thinned allowing the hardwoods nearby to seed and grow.  Right now the grass is so thick that nothing is able to get established.

Another question:  Any suggestions on tree spacing when planting.  I have been told anywhere from 12 X12  to 20X20.  I am looking for pro's and con's.

[Jason_AliceMae Farms]

I am no where near close to an expert and am still learning and talking to the smart people that I come across.  That being said, when planning for my planting at the advice of the forester I planted the spruce 10x10 and 8x8 in some areas.  I am sure a lot of the spacing depends on the variety planted as well as other factors.

I did not go any smaller than 8x8 so I could still get the tractor and brush mower down there between the rows for the first few years.  From what I have seen the 12x12 and 20x20 seems like a pretty big spacing.  Maybe the 12x12 if wanting to grow Christmas trees so you have some room all the way around for pruning and pest control?

There is not a ton of information but here is a link to a thread I started on my planting.  I will update it with some more pictures in the spring/summer after the snow is gone.

https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php/topic,69207.0.html

[g_man]

Jason, I'm curious to know your thinking in choosing Norway Spruce over a native species like say Red Spruce or Balsam Fir. What are their advantages for your site and do the mills accecpt them as eastern Spruce/Fir or are they treated differently ? Thanks

[Jason_AliceMae Farms]

g_man, as far as the mills accepting the Norway spruce that didn't go into my planning for the few acres.  I was looking for something to plant that would provide some trees for me to play with in the future and to watch grow that would not break the bank price wise and that the deer and wildlife would not eat up before they got established.  The seedlings were available at a price I was comfortable with and the planting would not cost as much to do as compared to say planting a hardwood stand.

I have a few acres already of Norway spruce and I really enjoy that area of my property and it has provided me with some small trees to experiment with in my attempt to get into making log furniture as a hobby.  I have also always wanted to visit the Black Forest in Germany which has a lot of Norway Spruce.  I really enjoy seeing pictures of that forest and decided to watch my own little stand grow. 

Overall, not much planning went in as far as the current or future timber prices and what the mills were buying.  I thought more about what I enjoy and the feel I wanted to have on that piece of property. 

[g_man]

I thought more about what I enjoy and the feel I wanted to have on that piece of property.

Thanks. There is nothing wrong with that in my book.