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INTO THE WOODS<br />
No other tree in Eastern Iowa comes<br />
close to walnut in terms of value per<br />
board-foot.<br />
With about 40 attendees gathered in<br />
a semicircle, Oetken talked through the<br />
possible future values of a 33-year-old,<br />
17-inch-in-diameter walnut. Its current<br />
value would be a little more than $300,<br />
but with sufficient access to sunlight, it<br />
could double its value in a decade and<br />
quadruple its value in 20 years.<br />
Oetken likes to see an annual growth<br />
rate of a half-inch of diameter at breast<br />
height (dbh). If a walnut is growing at a<br />
lesser rate, it needs more sunlight, and<br />
that means thinning the trees around it.<br />
“It’s an additional cost to the landowner,<br />
but I’ll take the additional thinnings<br />
and increased growth anytime,”<br />
he said.<br />
It takes decades and careful management<br />
to grow valuable trees, but the<br />
payoff can be significant: upwards of<br />
$25,000 per acre, assuming a mix of<br />
walnut and lower-value species.<br />
EASTERN IOWA FARMER PHOTO / SARA MILLHOUSE<br />
Al Tubbs talks about how he manages the forest on his property during a field day last autumn.<br />
The field day covered a host of topics, including tree shelters, timber values, prescribed burns,<br />
clear-cuts and invasive species management.<br />
Another job<br />
complete<br />
LIBERTY AG & EXCAVATING<br />
PROVIDE THE FOLLOWING SERVICES:<br />
• Tiling<br />
• Precision Planting<br />
• Custom Farming<br />
• Anhydrous Application<br />
• Excavating<br />
• Site Prep<br />
• Dozing<br />
• Waterway<br />
• Pond building<br />
and repair<br />
• NRCS projects<br />
• Custom hauling<br />
• Much more<br />
CONTACT: Matt Kelting | 563-370-2158<br />
29159 10th Ave, New Liberty, Iowa 52765<br />
24 EASTERN IOWA FARMER | SPRING 2024 eifarmer.com
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