I am not an advocate for planting every acre of land in Robeson County in pine trees. However, my many years of experience working with farmers, as well as with landowners who do not farm, is that our forests provide much greater potential for additional income than most landowners realize.

The market for pine, both pulpwood and saw timber, goes up and down. Sometimes it is high, and sometimes it is so low that harvest should not be considered. Trees are a crop, but they are not perishable. If they are not harvested this year, they can just wait until later. In fact, if harvest is delayed for any reason, the crop usually continues to get more valuable.

Another thing I encourage landowners to remember is that trees are no different than any other crop. They are planted, cared for, managed throughout their growing period, and then harvested. As soon as harvest is complete, a new crop is planted.

It has always surprised me that so few landowners in Robeson County give serious attention to their forestlands and the potential for profit from well-managed forests. Many landowners would be surprised if they put pencil to paper to find out that based on annual income, they could make more clear profit from pines than from other crops that are being grown. This is especially true for some of the marginal lands that are being used for soybean production.

The recently established Cape Fear Region Forestry Network is made up of forest landowners and forestry professionals from Robeson, Cumberland, Sampson, and Bladen Counties. The purpose of this network is to help forest landowners learn more about what can and should be done to better establish, manage, and market timber and timber products.

If you are a landowner in Robeson County with timber on your property, I would like to encourage you to attend a special meeting that this network has designed just for you. It does not matter if you only have 20 acres of trees or you have hundreds of acres. The principles are the same, the practices are the same, and the resources available to you are the same.

This meeting will be held Friday, December 4, at the O. P. Owens Agriculture Center in Lumberton beginning at 9 a.m. with light refreshments. Topics will include the process of selling timber, timber markets, and landowner liability issues. Speakers will include private forest landowners, consulting foresters, Extension specialists, and Forest Service personnel.

Lunch will be provided and refreshments will be available throughout the day. Even though sponsors are helping with some of the costs, those eating will be asked to contribute $6.50. There is a need for the Cape Fear Region Forestry Network to generate some additional financial support, so they can do a more effective job of providing educational activities for forest landowners in this four-county area on a regular basis.

Following lunch, a tour will be provided to the Waltz Maynor farm. This farm is located near Purnell Swett High School, west of Pembroke. The farm contains several different tracts, each of which provides good examples of very practical forest establishment and/or management practices. Extension specialists, representatives of the N.C. Forest Service, and forest management professionals will be on hand to describe in detail what was done on each tract and why and how each practice benefits forest landowners. These professionals will also be prepared to answer questions.

When I start talking about forest management, the first comment I hear from many landowners is that it takes a long time for a tree to grow. Many people feel that they will not live long enough to harvest a crop of trees. This may be true if lands are left to regenerate naturally and all that comes up is a stand of substandard trees. But many landowners would be surprised to learn just how quickly a pine tree will grow to harvest size because of new genetics and more intense management practices.

As we mature, we begin to realize that it is not always necessary that we be the ones to reap the benefits of our efforts. Sometimes it is good to do things that build value for our children and grandchildren - just like wise investments or putting money in savings accounts.

We don't know what the future will bring, but my guess is that the price of wood products will continue to increase. Pines are a good investment for the future of our children, but with the improved varieties that are available today, for most of us, they are also a good investment for our own future.

If you are an experienced forest landowner, winter is the best time to complete your forest management practices. If you are an inexperienced forest landowner, winter is the best time to learn about forest management practices. I invite you to become more involved in the Cape Fear Region Forestry Network.

This meeting is for you. Come and bring a friend. But please call me at 671-3276 and let me know you are coming, so I can have enough food for you.

E-mail address: Everett_Davis@ncsu.edu

Mailing Address:
P. O. Box 2280
Lumberton, NC 28359-2280

Phone: 910-671-3276
Fax: 910-671-6278

Date Created 11/16/09