Progress report for ONE24-463
Project Information
This project will broaden and
strengthen the genetic base of Juglandacae family trees (walnut,
hickory, pecan) in the Northeast long-term. This will be
accomplished by identifying preferred seed trees in the
Juglandacae family on Yates County, NY area farmsteads and
providing a path through which host farm families can route seeds
from their superior trees directly into the regional seed
supply.
At least 25 farm families will be
engaged, at least 40 trees will be evaluated using defined field
protocols and at least 10 trees will be prioritized for seed
collection. Seed will be collected and processed and the
resulting seeds shall enter the regional seed supply. Summarized
tree data collected, seed selection approach, source tree
locations and local growing conditions will be documented and
detailed in the project report. Protocols for mutually beneficial
annually recurring seed gathering will be established with farm
families whose land hosts prioritized trees. Because there are a
lot of tree varieties in the Juglandaceae family, if a few
species must be prioritized, the project will prioritize black
walnut, butternut, shagbark hickory, bitternut hickory and
shellbark hickory, if found. Shellbark hickory may not be present
in the project area.
Nut tree genetic heritage developed on old farmsteads over past centuries is being lost right when we need it to launch the next generation of trees. At present, we are pushing new agricultural approaches forward while continuing to push the existing system to deliver everything it delivered previously and more. The economics of conventional farming incentivizes farmers to bring online as many productive acres as possible, including land that may currently host old mast-bearing trees. At the same time, implementation of agroforestry and afforestation is ramping up, increasing demand for mast-bearing tree seed and seedlings. In order to ensure that the broad range of genetic diversity embedded in the population of old, healthy nut trees left standing is passed down to the next generation of trees, we must continue to identify and preserve key seed trees and route seeds from those trees into the general seed and seedling supply along with detailed information regarding seed source.
The project will focus on Juglandacae family trees (walnut, hickory, pecan) growing on farms in or near Yates County, NY. The Juglandacae family has been selected because there are wild trees in this family whose genetics merit conservation and replication without the need for a dedicated breeding program. Juglandaceae family trees are in general shade intolerant or only moderately shade tolerant and tend to cluster in the areas historically occupied by people. They are much more likely to be found on sites where the canopy has been disturbed, like farms, than areas that have long been covered with forest. For this reason, a greater fraction of the genetic heritage of these species resides on private, not public land, and is likely weighted towards historic farmsteads as farm families generations ago would have intentionally planted some of these trees with intent to use the nuts grown for personal or livestock consumption.
This project positively impacts almost every aspect of sustainable agriculture. Because nut trees are perennial plants, growing nut trees improves soil conservation and soil health because there is no need for annual soil disturbance. Wild walnut, hickory and pecan trees require zero or minimal chemical inputs to thrive, reducing long-term chemical exposure risks for both people and planet. If farm families can realize some income from nut trees which hadn’t been previously utilized for such purposes, a boost to farm family income is created and that boost will be independent of their primary income stream(s). In terms of quality of life, everyone loves a beautiful, healthy tree but a great tree can be loved even more if the family that owns it is aware that their tree is an important contributor to regional tree population genetics. A tree that a family is proud to own will be cared for and left standing.
Cooperators
Research
Collecting data from individual trees with the intent to use this data to prioritize some trees for seed collection is foundational to this project. This Tree Assessment Form was developed by the project and used to collect data from each tree assessed.
In addition to the information about each tree collected using this form, the age of each tree was estimated using the following methodology:
Step 1: Figure out the diameter of the tree at about four and a half feet above the ground.
Step 2: Validate the tree type (black walnut, red oak, shagbark hickory, etc).
Step 3: Estimate the age of the tree by multiplying the diameter by the growth factor for that type of tree (see below).
GROWTH FACTORS
4.0: Red Oak*
4.5: Black Walnut (including butternut, heartnut)
7.0: Hickories (shagbark, shellbark)
*Is your red oak a pin oak? Pin oaks grow a little faster and so use a growth factor of 3.0.
Assessing nut quality is also a key aspect of this project. This Black Walnut Taste Test Form was developed so that volunteer tasters could provide feedback on the taste of walnuts from specific trees from which seed was collected in 2024 in a standard manner. Tasters were provided only a sample number for nuts from each tree and not any information about the tree owner, location or characteristics. This intent was that this tasting exercise would yield a qualitative ranking, not quantitative.
This is an interim report for an ongoing project. So far, tree data has been collected and some samples have been submitted for laboratory testing but project conclusions have not yet been reached. Additional tree data collection is planned. Some taste test responses have been received and others are still pending. Project conclusions and how these conclusions were reached will be part of this project's final report. The methodology for tree assessment used by this project can be replicated by anyone at any time although certain questions cannot be answered if the tree's autumn leaves have already fallen. In this way, results for trees that are out of scope for this project can be compared to project results once results are available.
Education & Outreach Activities and Participation Summary
Participation Summary:
Project success leads to the launch of an annually recurring seed gathering program from genetically superior trees growing on Yates County, NY farms. The idea will be tested during the 2024 harvest season. After the close of the season, a decision will be made regarding whether to establish a permanent, annually recurring program or put the idea on the shelf. Regardless of the decision outcome, the project’s outreach plan will involve drafting a project report for Northeast SARE, presenting key conclusions at the annual joint conference of the Northern Nut Growers Association and the Chestnut Growers of America in 2025 and working in partnership with the Yates County Farm Bureau to coordinate and host an expert-led seminar focused on silvopasture and/or alley cropping project development. This seminar will target the local agricultural community, be open to the public and free for participants. The rationale for the seminar is that if the project provides the impetus for Yates County farmers to think about collecting nuts as tree seed, additional technical assistance could open a path for interested farmers to figure out how to benefit from both nut tree seed collection and nut tree seed planting. As of December 2024, this workshop is in planning and is scheduled for 6-8 pm at Brett Chedzoy's farm on May 20, 2025. Brett Chedzoy is a regional extension forester with Cornell University. Brett and his family operate Angus Glen Farms in Watkins Glen where they maintain a large cow-calf grass-fed herd on 500 acres of intensively grazed pasture and silvopasture.
The outreach plan in the case of project success is more comprehensive. In addition to the project report, the presentation of key conclusions at the conference previously named and the silvopasture / alley cropping seminar, a dedicated project website will be created in order to make organizations and individuals interested in Juglandacae family tree conservation aware of the project data collected and to provide a tool to facilitate program expansion. Key project results will be published on this website. In order to find more trees of interest and continue to direct seeds from identified trees into the regional seed supply chain on an ongoing basis, the website will include a way to nominate additional trees for future assessment. Furthermore, a way for organizations with the necessary expertise to complete in-field tree assessments to optionally assess trees they encounter through their own operations or endeavors will be developed and directly shared with those organizations. Such organizations likely include non-profit organizations like the New York Nut Growers Association, select Cornell Cooperative Extension staff members and for-profit organizations such as local tree service providers. Funding for these "success case only" activities has been included in the budget and will only be spent if this project successfully launches an annually recurring tree seed gathering program.
Discovering and sourcing the best seed allows others to grow the best new trees. Continuing to find genetically superior nut trees for seed and providing a practical path to market for that seed is how this project will have significant long-term positive impact toward SARE’s goal of helping farmers and farm workers steward resources to ensure agricultural sector sustainability, resilience, economic viability, and higher quality of life.
Learning Outcomes
In 2024, the project engaged 20 tree owners, 16 of which were farm families, predominantly but not exclusively farming in Yates County, NY. Of these farm families, one participant identifies as a beginning / woman farmer and the project benefited from engagement with 7 Mennonite family farms. 25 trees were assessed and more trees were nominated and visited than were assessed. In this case, assessment means that information about specific trees was collected and saved.
In general, farm families do not consider the nuts grown by nut trees like black walnut, butternut, or hickory to be an asset to the farm. If Juglandaceae family trees are growing on a farm, they are typically yard trees, field edge trees or woodlot trees. For areas that aren’t maintained (ex: woodlots), they are typically seen as a wildlife benefit but not a contributor to farm operations and in areas that are maintained, they are typically seen as a nuisance. While many families were aware that nuts from these trees are edible, the nuts from only two trees assessed was typically consumed and the idea of having nuts from these trees serve as seed was a new idea. The possibility that value could be created from nuts from these trees was seen as an interesting and worth further discussion across the board. Many farm families were surprised and impressed by the age of some of their trees. Many trees over 200 years old were identified. Given that Yates County just celebrated its bicentennial, these trees pre-date the founding of the County.
Project Outcomes
In 2024, the project collected 1306 lbs of raw seed (427 lbs after the seeds were hulled and the bad ones discarded). Species collected include black walnut, butternut, shagbark hickory, shellbark hickory, pignut hickory and red oak. Of the farm families engaged, all farmers were willing to allow someone else to collect seeds from their trees if the seeds had financial value. An overwhelming majority were willing to allow someone else to collect seeds from their trees without receiving compensation in order to benefit the project. In many cases, seed collection was not an issue but dropping the collected seed off somewhere that wasn't the farm was a challenge. Seed was collected from trees belonging to eleven farm families and two tree growers who are not farmers. In most cases, farm families gathered their seed, particularly if the tree was a yard tree. In a couple of cases, the project opted to collect seeds on behalf of a farm family. Multiple tree owners did not gather seed because it was too late in the season and the seeds had already been eaten by animals (a situation which impacted butternut in particular), because it was determined that the collection effort from a particular tree was not worth the reward, or because the trees were not bearing in 2024. Many Jugladacae family trees do not produce consistent annual yields. At least seven farm families expressed hope that the collection of nuts from their trees could become an annually recurring activity.
Two partnerships were established (one with Aziz Ebrahimi, a post-doctoral fellow at Purdue University, doing butternut tree research and the other with The National Collection of Genetic Resources for Pecans, maintained by the USDA National Plant Germplasm System, Pecan Breeding & Genetics Program). The Purdue lab will do genetic testing of butternut tree leaves to be collected in 2025. In 2024, the project contributed a Yates County shagbark hickory, pignut hickory and shellbark hickory sample to the National Collection of Genetic Resources for Pecans (pecans are a hickory, too). In 2025, the project will receive back an assessment of the nuts contributed that can be shared with the tree owners and others and the genetics from these trees will strengthen the National Collection's program on an ongoing basis as the seeds from these trees will be grown out and integrated into the existing program. A third partnership with a North Central SARE-supported project is under evaluation. That project seeks to develop a commercial process to make acorn flour and has expressed concerns about supply. Fifty pounds of acorns which could be directed to support that project in 2025 were collected by this project in 2024.
In one case, as we were discussing the history of their trees, a farm family produced a likely late-1800's era picture of their farm. This picture showed a young shagbark hickory in their yard. We assessed this now 200+ yr old shagbark hickory and added it to the project database, including estimating the age of this tree (216 yrs). An estimate of the age of the tree helped that farm family estimate the age of the photograph, something that they had been wondering about for a long time. The project submitted seeds from this shagbark hickory tree to the National Collection of Genetic Resources for Pecans and the family very much looks forward to receiving a report about these seeds back from the lab in 2025.
Key success:
Shellbark hickory produces seeds which command a premium price. The project identified one shellbark hickory tree in Yates County and it happened to be around 200 years old, a great producer and located on a farm, known to the family and neighbors but not others. Historically, the nuts from this tree were occasionally collected and shelled for cookies but it's potential as a seed tree had never been considered. This tree is exactly the kind of tree the project hoped to identify and validates that the idea that there is significant undiscovered nut tree species richness on Northeast farms. Shellbark hickory was not previously known to grow in Yates County, as determined by no member of the New York Nut Growers Association being aware of any such trees. If one shellbark hickory tree was found on a Yates County farm, it is worth looking for more and so this work is planned for summer 2025.
Key challenge:
The project was based on the assumption that tree resilience is tied to longevity and while that is true for most Juglandacae family tree species, it cannot be taken as a given for butternut trees. Butternut has been found found to be high priority for 2025 work and to require a methodology change because the species is under existential threat from butternut canker and PA/NY/Massachusetts is where this species is making its last stand. For this reason, the most important trait a butternut tree seed could have for future resiliency is canker resistance. The degree of canker resistance that a butternut tree has cannot be determined by a visual inspection of tree health. Genetic testing of the trees combined with a recommended planting strategy will be necessary in order to realistically define a "premium seed" and this is necessary because pure butternut trees do not have canker resistance. If this tree, which produces an oily nut and therefore logically is an opportunity to develop a future tree-based oil crop, can be saved, it will be through the success of a hybrid which achieves canker resistance but retains much of the species original genetics. Near-term future planting would therefore focus on conservation success, not nut quality, so how to high-grade seed from this species is not comparable to how to high-grade seed from other Juglandacae family trees. Because butternuts are an early-falling seed, much of the 2024 window for gathering was missed. This ended up being a help not a hindrance because both genetic testing of tree leaves and a reasonable timeline for collecting these samples had not been built into the original project plan. The best time to gather leaves for testing is early summer. Identifying additional butternut trees and gathering leaf samples for genetic testing is now planned for summer 2025 and a partnership with a research lab in Purdue that will do genetic testing of all 2025 collected butternut leaf samples at no charge to the project has been established.
This is an interim report for an ongoing project. A recommendation on how to maximize the benefit of project results will be developed when final project results are available.