|
Herman Haynes stands at the edge of his
180-acre pine plantation, one of two fields
he owns in Mansfield, La., and looks up
-- way up -- to see the tops of his trees.
"It's hard to believe they were the size of a
pen just five years ago," he says.
From small, six-inch seedlings, the genetically
improved loblolly pine trees have
grown to almost reach the power lines.
In fact, they are nearly as tall as the first
trees of the same variety that he planted
10 years ago on a separate 160-acre plantation.
The difference is how he prepared the
site for planting.
When the first acreage was planted, the
site was prepared by applying herbicide
and burning. For the second tract, Haynes
did mechanical site preparation, disking
and then bedding the soil. Preparing the
site is particularly important if the land
has been grazed, because, over time, cattle
compact the soil.
"I'm really amazed at their progress," Haynes
says. "Before we planted the second time, we
mounded up the dirt in rows, the way you
expect a garden to look. It gave the seedlings
a great start. And the soil holds water better;
it doesn't get packed as much; and you don't
get too many trees in one area."
A Dream to Plant Trees
Growing these trees is a dream fulfilled for
Haynes, who has worked in paper products
since high school. He grew up in Silsby,
Texas, near Beaumont, and started working
for the Kirby Lumber Company when
he was 15 years old.
That after-school job led to a career in
forestry, which took Haynes and his family
to Arkansas and later Louisiana, where he
has worked for International Paper (IP)
for 25 years.
"I've always had a love of the forest, and I
had a wild idea that I'd like to plant trees
some day," Haynes says. "It's one of the
best natural resources we have."
When property near his home went on
the market 10 years ago, Haynes decided
to take the risk. He bought the land, attended
a forestry stewardship program and learned all he could from the Louisiana
Forestry
|
Association. Finally, he was ready
to plant, and he obtained seedlings from
IP. The trees come in bundles of 1,000, and
700 seedlings are planted per acre.
He also participated in a cost-sharing
program offered by the Natural Resources
Conservation Service (NRCS). Half of
the planting expenses is paid by the landowner,
and the other half, up to $10,000, is
paid by NRCS.
His efforts have paid off: In 1999, he received
the Future Forest Award from the
Louisiana Forestry Association for his first
plantation. He later bought more land and
planted a second plantation in 2001.
Fourteen Years Until First Cutting
In about three years, Haynes expects to
thin the first plantation for pulpwood.
Then, the remaining trees will be left to
grow another 10 years until they reach
optimum saw-log maturity. He made that
decision after talking with Jon Fielder,
his loan officer at Louisiana Land Bank.
Haynes has been a member of the Land
Bank for seven years, ever since he first
learned about the lenders at a forestry
association meeting. He liked that they
specialize in land and agriculture; for him,
that was enough reason to switch from his
commercial bank.
"It's been great working with Louisiana
Land Bank, because they understand my
business," Haynes says. "Jon grows trees
himself and is very knowledgeable about
the industry. Together, we decided that 14
years was a good target for the first cutting.
You lose yield if you think too quick."
At that age, the trees are sold by weight. In
his 20-year agreement with the paper company,
he allows them to make the first offer.
If he doesn't approve, he can put the wood
on the open market for six months. If he's
offered a higher price, he must provide them
with an opportunity to match the price.
Haynes estimates that the genetic improvements
to these "super trees" have made
them more drought-tolerant and have
taken eight to 10 years off saw-log maturity.
With the right soil, a 50-foot tree can be
|
grown in about 25 years, with a thinning
harvest at about 14 years. Still, a crop that
takes 14 years from planting to first harvest
might seem like too long to wait for some
people, but Haynes looks at it differently.
"It takes patience, but it doesn't take too
much time or effort," says Haynes, who in
the meantime leases the property for hunting.
"Plus, trees don't keep you from traveling,
and my wife and I like to travel."
Family Pride Is Evident
These days, Florida is their favorite destination,
because two of their three children
live there. Their younger son, Damian,
recently completed the competitive pharmacy
program at the University of Florida and is now a pharmacist with Walgreen's
in Tampa. Their older son, Adrian, also
lives in Tampa with his wife, Cynthia, and
their 9-month-old son, Zechariah. Their
daughter Natasha lives in Mansfield.
"Every year I take the month of December
off, and we go to Florida," says Haynes,
who puts in long hours at the IP paper mill
in Mansfield the rest of the year. "We've
been doing that for years, so it was already
a second home for our kids."
The trip to Florida this year will be even
more special. In addition to visiting with
their family, Haynes and his wife, Joyce,
will celebrate their 30th wedding anniversary
in December.
"She grew up in Koontz, which is another
little town outside of Beaumont," Haynes
says. After high school, she furthered her
education in McKinney, Texas, while he
attended Lamar University for two semesters.
"We started dating, and I guess you
could say it moved pretty fast after that."
The couple takes great pride in the family
and are proud of what their children have
accomplished. For them, family is what
makes all the work worthwhile. In fact, he
looks forward to one day maybe bringing
his sons into the timber business with him.
"I'm looking forward to retirement from
International Paper in a few years," Haynes
says. "But I expect that I'll grow trees for
the rest of my life."
- Staff |
