Progress report for FNC24-1420
Project Information
The Johnson’s are first generation farmers with 5 kids, ages 5-13. Our 180-acre farm, Ox Heights, is in Presque Isle County Michigan (NE lower peninsula) and is certified in the Michigan Agriculture Environmental Assurance Program in Farmstead Systems, Cropping, Livestock, and Forest, Wetlands, and Habitat Systems. With support from SARE (Projects FNC17-1081, FNC19-1170, FNC21-1329), USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, and our family, we are learning and demonstrating how farmland on marginal loamy sand soils in the North Central Region can grow sustainable, high value, and diverse crops. We maintain 20 ewes that produce ~30 lambs for meat annually. The sheep are rotationally grazed through our 20 acres of grafted European chestnuts (SARE FNC17-1081 and FNC19-1170) and English Walnut/Peach intercrop orchard (SARE FNC21-1329). Hay for the winters is taken from about 10 acres. Our remaining acreage is managed for Christmas greenery and hardwood timber. Abby (proposal leader) has an Engineering Degree from Michigan State University (Biosystems Engineering) and is President of the Midwest Chestnut Producers Council. Nick (Husband) has undergraduate and graduate degrees in Fisheries, Wildlife, and Forestry. In this project, we will convert approximately 5 acres of our 10-acre hay field into an intercropped, silvopastured pine nut plantation to test establishment practices for Korean Pine and Siberian Pine.
Trees that produce high value edible pine nuts have been costly
and difficult to establish and therefore, we will define
scientifically and communicate broadly, best practices for pine
nut tree establishment in the North Central Region.
Details: Edible pine nuts are a nutritious high value crop
that, once established, grows well on sandy soils in zones 2 or
greater. Therefore, pine nuts could be a good crop for farmers
looking to diversify revenue, sequester carbon, a establish a
multi-generational crop. However, there are no pine trees
native to the North Central Region that produce nuts large enough
to eat and as such, pine nut trees native to Asia, like Korean
Pine and Siberian Pine, need to be established. Because
Korean and Siberian Pine trees are not native to North America,
the symbiotic microbial environment they need to thrive may also
not be present and may limit establishment success.
Indeed, we had limited success (65% survival rate of 125
trees) establishing Korean Pine on our farm while plantings of
other species thrived. Here, we will test two types of soil
inoculates and one type of tree shelter to better define best
establishment practices for pine nut trees in the North Central
Region.
Objective: Determine how survival and growth of transplanted pine
nut trees vary with soil inoculate treatment and whether tree
shelters are used.
Solution: We will determine what establishment tactics produce
the highest survival and growth rates for two species of pine
that produce edible nuts in the North Central Region. We will
conduct the experiment on two types of trees that produce large
edible pine nuts and are hardy to Zone 3, Korean Pine and
Siberian Pine. We will vary inoculate treatments and tree shelter
treatments. The inoculate treatments will be a (1) commercially
available inoculate
(https://www.nuttrees.com/edible-nut-trees/edible-pine-nut-trees),
(2) inoculating with soil from under existing Korean Pine trees
on our property, and (3) no inoculate. Inoculate from existing
trees will be introduced by collecting 1 cup of dirt from under
our 6-year old Korean pines and placing the soil in the planting
hole. The trees shelter treatments will be a modified tree
shelter for evergreens that we will construct from mesh material.
The goal of the tree shelter is to provide some shade and
protection from wind, without producing the heat and confined
conditions of a typical tree tube. Therefore, the experimental
design will be a 2 x 3 x 2 factorial design (2 tree species, 3
inoculate treatments, 2 tree shelter treatments) with the
following number of replicates per treatment: 100 Korean pine; 50
with commercial inoculate, 25 with inoculate from existing Korean
Pine trees, and 25 with no inoculate. Of the 50 with commercial
inoculate, 25 will be a tree shelter and 25 will not be in a tree
shelter. The same number of Siberian Pine trees will be planted
with the same experimental treatment strategy. Treatments will be
randomized throughout the experimental planting. Pine nut trees
will be planted at a 35 foot by 40 foot spacing with drip
irrigation provided. As a control, two conifer trees native to
North America will be planted between the pine nut trees, namely
Fraser fir and balsam fir, so survival and growth of an industry
standard conifer tree in the North Central Region can be compared to the
pine nut trees. Fraser and balsam fir are also a good companion
crop for pine nut trees because they can be harvested after 10
years for the wreath or Christmas tree industry as the pine nut
trees are maturing. Fir trees will be planted with the same
methods that the existing Christmas tree plantations on our farm
were established with 99% success. The entire experiment will
occur on a field with marginal hay production and loamy sand
soils; a circumstance common on many farms in the Midwest that
are on glacial till deposits. Soil tests will occur at the
beginning and end of the experiment. Potash will be applied
to the field prior to establishment. Sheep will be
grazed in the aisles of the planting (40 ft spacing) to keep the
land in production and soil nutrients cycling while the trees are
establishing. Results will be communicated through our website, a
conference presentation at the Midwest Nut Producers Council or
Savanna Institute Annual Meeting, a final report to SARE, and a
field day.
Cooperators
- - Technical Advisor
- - Technical Advisor
- - Technical Advisor
Research
286 Fraser fir and 284 balsam fir were picked up directly from Northern Pines Nursery in Lake City, MI, on April 12th, 2024. The trees were 2-year old and termed p+2 in their catalog. Fir trees were hand planted by April 17th, 2024, as described at this link at Ox Height's Blog.
Kids planting trees
On April 16th, 2024, local mycorrhizae inoculate was procured from established Korean Pine trees on the property by harvesting dirt that was in contact with the root systems of the Korean Pine. Local inoculate was stored in our barn basement at ambient temperature until used later that month.
100 Siberian and 100 Korean Pines were delivered from Rhora's Nut Nursery on April 22nd, 2024, and were hand planted by April 30th, 2024, as described at the Ox Heights Blog and in this video. Commerical inoculant and local inoculate (harvested from our Korean pine trees) was added to the holes as described in this video. The pines were shipped from Rhora's on April 16th, 2024. The trees were in transport for about a week and had about 0.5 inch of new growth upon delivery to Ox Heights. Whether new growth occurred prior to shipping or during shipping is not known. The root systems of the Asian pines were small compared to the fir trees.
Korean and Siberian Pines Arrive from Rhora's Nursery on 22April2024
Tree shelters were constructed around Korean Pine and Siberian Pine assigned to have tree shelters as described in this video.
During May 2024, tree height and trunk diameter were documented for each Asian pine tree planted.
A soil test on the pine nut plantation site was taken March 2024. Results showed a deficiency in potassium, so as proposed, two tablespoons of potash was provided to each tree in the study during May 2024.
Drip irrigation was supplied to all trees planted immediately after planting. Specifically, we used 1 gallon per hour drippers and provided water once per week for 2 hours each week rain was not greater than 0.5 inches. Weeds around planted trees were controlled using foliar spray glyphosate in early June. Later in the summer, weeds near each tree were removed by hand.
During November 2024, each tree was assessed to determine if it was alive or dead where dead trees were completely brown or shed all their needles.
Trees averaged 15 inches in height and 6 mm in diameter when planted. Survival of Korean and Siberian Pine their first year averaged 75% with no substantive difference in survival between the species. Survival of Fraser fir and balsam fir were 99% and also averaged 15 inches tall when planted.
| Species | Number Planted | Number Alive | Number Dead | % Survival | Initial Height (inches) | Initial Diameter (mm) |
| Korean Pine | 100 | 77 | 23 | 77% | 16.4 | 6.4 |
| Siberian Pine | 100 | 72 | 28 | 72% | 14.8 | 5.9 |
Korean and Siberian pine trees that were sheltered had slightly higher survival in their first year than those that were not sheltered, but differences were marginal.
| Shelter | Number Planted | Number Alive | Number Dead | % Survival | Initial Height (inches) | Initial Diameter (mm) |
| None | 150 | 110 | 40 | 73% | 15.8 | 6.3 |
| Shelter | 50 | 39 | 11 | 78% | 14.9 | 5.7 |
Survival of Korean and Siberian pine receiving no inoculate survived at higher rates in their first year than those receiving local inoculant or commercial inoculate.
| Inoculant | Number Planted | Number Alive | Number Dead | % Survival | Initial Height (inches) | Initial Diameter (mm) |
| Commercial | 101 | 71 | 30 | 70% | 15.6 | 6.1 |
| Local | 50 | 38 | 12 | 76% | 16.2 | 6.3 |
| None | 49 | 40 | 9 | 82% | 15.0 | 6.1 |
Initial size of the Korean or Siberian pine did not generally correspond to higher survival during their first year.
| Korean Pine | Number | Initial Height | Initial diameter |
| Alive | 77 | 16.6 | 6.5 |
| Dead | 23 | 15.8 | 6.0 |
| Siberian Pine | Number | Initial Height | Initial diameter |
| Alive | 72 | 14.7 | 5.9 |
| Dead | 28 | 15.1 | 5.9 |
Taken together, there was no obvious variable that explained survival during the first year. For Korean Pine, highest survival was with trees planted with no inoculate and provided no shelter. For Siberian Pine, highest survival was with trees provided local inoculate and no shelter. Both Korean Pine and Siberian Pine showed very little overall new terminal growth during their first year (~roughly 1 inch).
| Species | Inoculant | Shelter | Planted | Alive | Dead | % Alive | Initial Hight (Inches) | Initial Diameter (mm) |
| Korean | Commercial | None | 25 | 15 | 10 | 60% | 16.2 | 6.5 |
| Korean | Commercial | Shelter | 25 | 22 | 3 | 88% | 16.1 | 6.0 |
| Korean | Local | None | 25 | 19 | 7 | 76% | 17.5 | 6.7 |
| Korean | None | None | 25 | 22 | 3 | 88% | 15.7 | 6.2 |
| Siberia | Commercial | None | 26 | 16 | 10 | 62% | 16.3 | 6.3 |
| Siberia | Commercial | Shelter | 25 | 17 | 8 | 68% | 13.7 | 5.5 |
| Siberia | Local | None | 25 | 20 | 5 | 80% | 14.8 | 5.9 |
| Siberia | None | None | 24 | 18 | 6 | 75% | 14.4 | 5.9 |
| Fraser | None | None | 286 | 283 | 3 | 99% | ||
| Balsam | None | None | 284 | 282 | 2 | 99% |
Fraser and Balsam fir survived at much higher rates than Korean or Siberian Pine trees regardless of how the Korean and Siberian pine trees were planted.
What caused individual pine trees to die is not clear since their initial size and root conditions were all very similar and death was randomly found throughout the orchard.
New growth on established 6-year-old Korean Pine on our farm averaged 18 inches and was robust among trees, so the poor grown experienced on our newly planted Asian pine trees was likely attributed to their young age and the transplanting stress.
Discussion:
The Korean and Siberian Pine trees consistently have the lowest first year survival rate of any tree we've planted at Ox Heights (and we've planted European chestnuts, European walnuts, European hazelnuts, peaches, applies, pears, grapes, black walnut, white oak, swamp oak, Fraser fir, balsam fir). Survival of the Korean and Siberian pines planted during 2024 was similar to first year survival of a small plot of Korean Pine planted at Ox Heights during 2017. The Korean pine planted in 2017 were not provided inoculant or shelter. During the first year of this study, no obvious improvement in survival was observed when Korean and Siberian pine planted in 2024 were provided inoculant or shelter.
Concerning to us was the new growth observed on the Korean Pine and Siberian pine upon their delivery to our farm. In our experience, trees should be dormant when transplanting. Whether the pine trees started growing in Ontario prior to shipment or whether they started growing while in transit to our farm. We suspect the latter is true since Rhora's reported that the trees were dug and shipped as early in the spring as usual (they are located at similar latitude), and the trees were in the boxes for 7 days as they cleared customs review to be delivered to Michigan. If the warehouse the tree shipment was stored in was heated, it's conceivable the trees started pushing new growth during shipment. In hindsight, and with a tree order of this expense (~$8,000), we would have been better off spending a couple days picking up the trees in person rather than relying on shipment from Canada.
Also concerning was the small root systems of the Asian pines we received. We'd estimate that the Asian Pine roots were roughly 10% of the size of the fir tree roots. We do not know whether all Korean and Siberian trees have small root systems when young or if the small roots were a function of conditions in the nursery we procured the trees from.
During 2025, we will carefully monitor the survival of the remaining trees and determine if pine trees receiving different inoculate and shelter treatments grew at different rates.
Educational & Outreach Activities
Participation Summary:
Several on-farm demonstrations occurred during 2025 with local farmers and the owner of Nutcracker Nursery (Quebec). Our website blog remained active and up to date and provided updates and educational information about the project.
Learning Outcomes
After year 1 of this 2-year project, we reaffirmed that transplanting Korean and Siberian pine trees with very high survival rates is very difficult and that adding complementary mycorrhiza or shelters did not provide a clear solution for improving survival. Specifically, after year 1, roughly 50 of our 200 pine trees were dead and with a price tag of $35/each, the financial loss associated with the mortality was ~$1,750.
Part of the difficulty of transplanting Asian Pines is attributed to the scarcity of these trees in U.S nurseries and logistics involved with shipping these between countries. Therefore, additional domestic production of Korean and Siberian pine would likely increase the ease of establishing these orchards in the future.
Another aspect of the difficulty of transplanting Asian Pines is their relatively low vigor and small root systems when young. We wonder if most of the transplanting stress could be eliminated if the trees were received in pots rather than bareroot. Again, shipping potted trees 100s of miles and across international borders is not easy, so domestic nursery production of Korean and Siberian Pine would help provide sources of potted trees.
Thankfully, Rhora's Nursery agreed to replace the Korean and Siberian Pine that died during year 1. Therefore, we will be able to report on if tree condition and survival of new trees planted during 2025 differs from what was experienced during 2024.
Overall, we are thankful to see 75% of the trees survive and anticipate survival of remaining trees will be high in year 2 and years beyond that. Stay tuned to find out!
Project Outcomes
Marco Harvey owner of Nutcracker Nursery visited Ox Heights during October 2024. He was very impressed with the overall farming system and was very interested in learning the fate of our Korean and Siberian Pine experiment. Marco also grows Korean and Siberia pine and has not been able to produce enough trees to meet the demand for his customers.
Understanding bottlenecks for nursery production of Asian Pines in Midwest region of the U.S.