Can I nominate my tree even if I am not a farmer in Yates County?
Sure. We are prioritizing the easiest-to-access trees located on Yates County area farms for 2025 assessment but we are interested in all trees.
Will I get paid?
Only if you are a farmer who shows us your trees in person. The farmer bonus is $100 and is applicable per-visit, not per-tree. For anyone eligible for the farm bonus, the bonus is optional.
Why do only farmers get a bonus?
Project funding is provided by a grant from Northeast SARE. The grant is intended to help farmers find new opportunities. Tree seed from nut trees on area farms may be a new opportunity for farmers that have old, healthy nut trees and are not using the nuts at this time for either seed or food.
How do I harvest the nuts from my tree?
It depends on the species. Black walnut and butternut tree owners should collect nuts from their seed tree the same way we collect black walnuts for the Black Squirrel Farms collection program are collected with the exception that drop-offs will needs to the tagged with a label designating the source tree as a program tree. These tags should have been provided for you at the time your tree was assessed. If your tree is an oak, use this guidance for acorn collection. If your tree is a shagbark or shellbark hickory, please use this guidance for hickory seed collection.
Can I nominate a tree on public lands or one owned by someone else?
Sure, feel free to nominate the tree but make sure to be clear that you are not the tree owner when you fill out the tree nomination form. Please be aware that the process for getting permission to collect nuts from public land could be complicated and so it might not be possible to get all the details worked out to make 2024 collection possible.
What if I have a great tree but it isn’t a species listed?
Feel free to nominate it – there is no downside for you or your tree.
Why is this program looking for old trees?
The premise of this program is that, for trees, longevity = resilience. Old trees have proven that they they can handle significant variability simply by living long enough that this has to be true. No matter whether they accomplished this due to genetic factors, site considerations, sheer coincidence or some combination, these old trees deserve to be treated as special. Their ecological (habitat) and generative (seed) value exceeds their extractive value (timber) and we need to figure out how to capture that value so that more effort can can directed towards research and care. These irreplacable trees, older than any person living, are more than just larger-sized versions of younger trees and warrant efforts to ensure that their genetic heritage is integrated into the regional seed supply.
Still have questions? Email sara@tylerseneca.com.
Black Squirrel Farms 