| Christmas Tree Farm Plan Saves Soil and Money |
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Silt fence and field border at Brawley site
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Written by Ken Diebel and Sheila Ault of the Oregon Department of Agriculture
Planning ahead. We all know it is important, but we often over look it. Mary Logalbo, Resource Conservationist with the Marion Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD), and Bill Brawley, Christmas tree farmer and owner of Greenbrier Ag Management, put this motto into practice, and it has paid off. They installed a series of erosion prevention practices last fall before planting a new Christmas tree plantation.
“Bill came to the district because he knew he was going to plant a new Christmas tree field, and he wanted to consult with a technician before planting,” Logalbo said. “He was concerned about erosion from this field because of its steep slope. We estimated it to be about 27 percent. That is pretty steep.”
Brawley knew from experience that trying to fix erosion problems after planting is not as effective. “In those past situations, we worked to control erosion post-planting,” Brawley said. “We had some success, but by utilizing practices prior to planting, we have had much better effects.”
"Growers need to be thinking ahead and anticipate where potential problems might occur before planting," Brawley said. He advocates working closely with the SWCD technician early in the process.
Early planning has benefits other than getting a jump on preventing erosion. It may help growers obtain cost-share dollars.
"Coordinating the submission of grants and conservation planning with farm work was the most difficult aspect of the entire project," Logalbo said. “I recommend growers call their local SWCD, and begin planning as soon as possible so that cost-share programs may be more feasible.”
Logalbo and Brawley worked together to install an entire suite of practices aimed at controlling soil erosion, which was their number one concern. “I view the land as a valuable, non-renewable resource that is essential to the success of our operation,” Brawley said. “Without it, we have nothing.”
The practices they chose included:
- Grass and forest filter strips,
- Grassed waterways,
- Planting along the contour,
- Silt fencing installed at the bottom of the field and,
- Cover cropping.
They picked these practices because they were effective, economical, and practical. “In my opinion, for a technique to be the ‘best’ it must combine all these elements,” Brawley said. “We have found that grassed water ways, cover crops and planting along the contour are some of our best practices.”
Logalbo agrees. “I was just out at the project site,” she said. “I see very few signs of erosion, even on the steepest sections of the field.”
The cover-cropping scheme they developed is slightly different than what some others have done. Last fall they planted the entire field in creeping red fescue. The grass prevented erosion during the winter, and helped Brawley control weeds.
This spring they sprayed the plantable areas, and left the areas most vulnerable to erosion in grass to serve as the grassed waterways and filter strips. Brawley will focus his weed control efforts near the trees themselves.
“You just don’t get the growth and the quality of tree if you aren’t on top of the weeds,” Brawley said.
Brawley and Logalbo have shown that growers can save soil and produce a quality product at the same time. All it takes is planning.
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