January 2026 began work with construction of planter racks for Forestry and medicinal conifers plus small-seeded hardwood varieties. Damping off fungus has been a problem in conifer varieties for me since I quit sterilizing the soil with chemicals. Now I am working on isolating conifer seedlings from the soil-borne damping-off fungus and using mild water fosphite additives to assist the young seedlings during their early post germination phases. Stems of pinus seedlings emerge as almost translucent water columns, Sparse crown needles manufacture wood molecules using solar power. The wood eventually bars the fungus from hurting new water columns in a growing tree.
Racks hold twelve trays suspended on rails made of 2x6 framing lumber. One fourth inch opening wire screen top and bottom excludes mice from conifer seed. Fungus that may be already present on the framing lumber has been sealed in with walnut oil, This is tedious work but it's a good chore. The photo below shows the planting process.
The soil mixture contains Bacillus pumilus, which is supposed to eat the damping off fungus. I sit with my back toward a wood fire. At this point I am planting Douglas fir and Ponderosa pine. The Douglas fir is for my own farm timber wood lot and hopefully for replanting other's, plus the Boreal forest. The current price for these seedlings in the first year is $3 each bare root plus a deposit for the growing trays if they are wanted. These seedlings will be priced at $7 each in their second year. Although height of the seedlings may be less than some growers as they are not encouraged to grow tall with fertilizer. This difference will disappear in a year or two after the seedlings are planted.
Progress. Now there is room for small seeded trees. Spoonwood, Kalmia Latifolia, Mountain laurel has fourteen million and eight hundred thousand seeds/pound, for example. Betula lenta, Black birch has 864,272 seeds per pound. Both require light to germinate. Sycamore is also a small seed but it grows so fast it is impractical to grow unless a customer wants some. Sycamore is strong in the ground.
I started to explain why I am growing Black Birch (Betula lenta) and googled; "How does black birch rank compared to other energy sources, and here I quote;
"Black birch (Betula lenta) ranks as a premier, top-tier firewood, offering a heat output comparable to high-density hardwoods like White Oak and Shagbark Hickory. With an energy density of approximately 26.8 million BTUs per cord, it is one of the highest-rated woods for home heating in North America, particularly favored in the Northeast. Ranking Among Firewood Types (Heat Output/Cord)
Top Tier (26-33+ million BTUs): Osage Orange, Hickory, Black Locust, Black Birch, White Oak. (Black locust produces hundred year fence posts but is illegal to grow in Massachusetts as it produces a thicket of hardwood with dangerous long and sharp thorns that are a protective holdover from the age of dinosaurs). (Imagine a dinosaur chomping 19 to 15 centimeter hardwood needles). Ouch!
Key Characteristics of Black Birch
High Energy Density: It is significantly hotter and denser than its relatives, White Birch or Paper Birch, which are considered lower-medium heat. Scent: It produces a distinct wintergreen aroma.
Comparison to Other Energy Sources
Vs. Fossil Fuels/Coal: While wood, in general, has lower calorific value than coal, 1 cord of dense, heavy wood like black birch is roughly equivalent to one ton of coal.
Verdict: Black birch is an excellent choice for a primary heat source, ranked just below top-tier woods like Osage Orange and Hickory, but among the best in the Northeast/Appalachian region."
Black birch is, therefore, a sustainable energy source in some ways equivalent to coal. If you wish to plant a few acres of coal equivalent black birch for your grand children, DadsTrees.com will be pleased to become your supplier of this and other varieties.
An important energy consideration of sustainable wood energy plantations is the carbon in the entire root structure stays in the ground when the wood energy is harvested. Thus, wood energy plantations sequester in the soil a carbon equivalent similar to what is released by its product used as energy. This is a natural cycle real free markets can use profitably and sustainably. I will plant more Black Birch seedlings in case there are potential customers and plant them in the forest next to the tree farm, where there is a natural stand of them.
The planting trays are suspended by their flanged edges and enclosed in wire mesh top and bottom to exclude mice. The wire mesh is termed hardware cloth with 1/4 inch grid (0.635 cm).
The wire mesh underneath is permanently mounted. The top wire can be set aside for weeding. If someone wants more seedlings, These racks can be cleared out for a second planting. Racks without wire are sufficient for seedlings as mice eat seeds but don't eat the seedlings.
A snow storm proved the support structure is good for six to eight inches of heavy snow. Each of the five racks below holds the potential of six hundred seedlings, three thousand in total. I do not know how many will survive damping off fungus. Every year is an experiment and I hope to do better than last year. Years ago, using chemicals and well water, my conifer beds looked like small rectangular lawns. I irrigated with river water last year and the damping off fungus was in the water. This year I will try one in-ground bed with well water and within the hunting radius of barn cats.
