Expansion

Wxpanding for more Paulownia trees....

Fortunia planted May, 2014
Cut down 3/29/15

From a 5" shoot, now 35 " tall when this pic taken on 4/15/15---- 2 1/2 weeks after cutting

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Advice  excerpts from John Waggoner, USA Today:  click to read entire article!

Three investment lessons from the trees

II. Invest in timber for the long term.
GMO LLC, a respected Boston money manager, periodically issues a forecast for various types of investments over the next seven years, adjusted for inflation. Their most recent outlook is fairly gloomy: U.S. large-company stocks will lose 2% a year, and high-quality stocks will gain just 0.5% a year.
The standout: Timber, which GMO forecasts will gain 4.8% a year, after inflation.


III. You need a lot of patience – and land – to make money growing timber on your own.
High-quality hardwood, such as walnuts, can fetch high prices. Why not skip making an IRA contribution this year and plant a couple of walnut trees instead?
And that's an interesting thought. Greger points out, however, that timber is no sure thing. You'll have to be on guard against fire, insects and the occasional beaver. And you'll have to trim the trees to grow straight and tall – otherwise, it will be hard to cut a good-sized log out of that.
And you'll need time. More common pine, the kind you make two-by-fours out of, grow about 10% each year up to age 50, almost doubling in volume and value every 7 years. You usually need a 10-inch log to sell for logs, which are far more valuable for pulp.
As for walnut: You'll need about 60 to 80 years to get the right color and grain for prime veneer. So they'd be better investment for your grandkids' college than for your own retirement. And your biggest expense will be hiring someone to cut them and haul them to market, Greger says. "You might not be paid very much for that tree."
So you can learn a great deal from lumber, and, with the right investments, actually make some money. But the best return you can get from your own trees is to walk outside on a spring morning and see them in bloom.

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3/4 year update: GROWING!

Elongatas: Planted May, 2011
Cut to ground March 2013
Pic taken Jan 2015

We continue to get requests for info from all over the world on these trees. This month marks our 4th year in this project and we were only looking for a few fast growing shade trees. Had no idea of the world wide demand for this wood and now we have 415 trees planted and will add another 100 or so this summer.

Elongatas, Fortunas, Kawakamis: Planted June 2012
Cut to ground March 2013
Pic taken Jan 2015

In ground 2 1/2 years

Our trees go dormant in October and lose their elephant leaves at first freeze.
They start waking up mid February when blooms start popping out and leaves follow.

Elongata: Planted May 2011
Cut Down March 2013
Pic taken March 2014

These trees luv super hot sun and grow from leaves. We measure and document height and width growth. One tree grew one foot per week in July and August and grew 3 3/4" in width from 6/5/14 to 8/12/14.

Fortunas:  planted May 2013 and cut to ground in March 2014
This pic taken July 2014-   4 months after cutting.

Thanks for checking our site and send email, text or call regarding our trees.

Mike Lammons


Michael R. Lammons
Pacific Coast Manager
Merchant Guard

559 824 3254 Cell & Text
Mikelammons@gmail.com
Barb's blog:
Merchantguard.blogspot.com


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