Reclaiming Christmas Tree Farm

We have about 2 acres of overgrown Norway spruce trees. Although they were originally planted as Christmas trees, they haven’t been shaped properly and are worthless from that regard. We’d like to “reclaim” the land and are actually required to be using it as it’s preserved farmland. Any interesting ideas?

The trees are planted close together - about 5-6 feet. If we cut them down, could we re-plant trees in between the stumps? Ideally, we’d like to leave the stumps to rot out, rather than use heavy machinery. The soil is very acidic, compact and nutrient-depleted. Anywhere that sunlight peeks in is overgrown with brush - mostly mugwort going rampant.

Other sections of our property we had the stumps ripped out, the holes filled, the land tilled and planted with pasture mix for sheep. It’s been labor-intensive and not very successful, as the depleted soil has given way to many weeds. For this section, we’d like to do some more regenerative practices and avoid much heavy machinery.

While our neighbors have suggested cutting down the trees, drying them and burning them, we’re at least thinking we could use the wood to make a rough log shelter/run-in for some animals. Maybe pigs to help root up the soil and fertilize? Open to any and all ideas!

I would think about opening it up in patches and putting in something like a blueberry guild. A bit north of where we are, where my much better half's family is from, when a disturbance creates an opening in the boreal canopy, blueberry and cane berries are some of the first to pop up.

I would chip the removed trees and place them as mulch on the ground. Organic matter covering the soil will help foster the soil microbes that do the actual business of improving the soil.

Have you gotten a soil test done? Because I would do that first. Knowledge is the first, best tool.

You could also pyrolise the trees into biochar and add that to the soil, which would act as little apartment blocks for soil microbiota, as well as being adsorption sites for volatile organic compounds the soil otherwise emits to the atmosphere.

Another thing I would do is leave some trees in place in a regular pattern to shelter the land. I would find out if any high-priced or tasty culinary mushrooms readily symbiose with the trees you've got growing. Chanterelles, for instance, symbiose here in eastern North america with the Jack Pine, and its strains to the west like oak. See if there's a market for culinary mushrooms that grow on norway pine logs, and you could end up with a side-business that creates mushroom compost as a byproduct.

But let us know how it goes, and good luck.

-CK

Like Chris brought up, acidic soil is great for growing blueberries, cranberries and saskatoons without any extra work needed.

Acidic soil isn't going to support vegetables much and if you chip those trees and use the chips as mulch you will be keeping the soil acidic, lime is the counter to acidic soil.
Leaving the stumps, while a lot easier than pulling them and trying to replace the missing soil, is again going to do nothing about reducing the acidity of the soil.

What I would do in this particular case is first decide if you want to grow blueberries or another acid loving berry or a combination of them.
If you do, then just cut the trees in "blocks" as Chris also brought up and begin the transformation slowly.

If you can, start an aggressive composting project, this too can work with the small blocks at a time conversion and the areas that get the compost will probably start shifting pH to something better for growing non-acid lovers.
By converting blocks, you can use the powers of observation to determine how well what you are doing is working for you.

Asparagus is another item (even less maintenance needed once established than blueberries) you might want to look into.

Redhawk

Blueberries are definitely the first thing that comes to mind with acidic soil. Also hydrangeas which would make nice cut flowers. Might also plant new pine/Christmas trees for the future.

What region do you live in Becca?  What's your growing season like?  

Was the soil acidic before the Christmas trees were planted?  If it's clay soil, you may find that the ph raises naturally once the trees aren't dumping pine needles and sap year round.  It'll just take some worms and other biota to pull some of that clay up to the soil surface.

You mentioned that your pasture mix didn't take well.  Beyond mugwart, what else is growing?  What weeds are predominant?  Is anything thriving?

Does anyone know if goats or sheep eat mugwart?  Perhaps you could mob-stock/rotationally graze your paddock to knock down the weeds, and then give the land rest between grazings.  A little electric fencing goes a long way.

I wouldn't rip out the roots, but would try to cut the trees down as low as possible.  My go-to tool is a cordless sawzall (Milwaukee fuel series) with a 12" blade.  Zip-Zop, it makes quick work of smallish trees.  And then rent a chipper and blow that biomass all over your field.  The chips will help build soil.  

Two additional thoughts that no one has mentioned.  First, plant a cover crop of some sort. You'll probably have to experiment until you find something that thrives in your soil, but sewing a cover crow will get biomass on the land and a living root working the soil.  The second thought is putting out a sign that says, "Free dump site for clean wood chips".  Let the local tree-trimmers know, "I'll take your chips -- dump them here."  If you could put down a thick layer of chips across the land, it would encourage fungal growth, significantly increase the % of soil organic matter, and will suppress weeds (short term).

Welcome to Permies.  Please post pictures.

m