By Amy Nathanson, University of Massachusetts Amherst 

In April of 2007 Ross and Alicia Hackerson purchased 90 acres of woodland in Huntington. Though they have only owned their property for a short time, they have a number of exciting ideas about managing their land in a sustainable fashion.

Like most forests in Massachusetts, the Hackerson’s land was once pastureland that has since gone into succession. From what they know of the area’s land use history, most of the trees probably established in the 1930s or 1940s. Though the stone walls that crisscross the property are reminders of the past, deer trails and other wildlife are also abundant.Ross and Alicia Hackerson worked with service forester Tom Ryan to put this land into Chapter 61A, a program that provides tax relief for agricultural and forest lands. They are also working with consulting forester Jeff Jourdain and Emily Boss at the Massachusetts Woodlands Cooperative to generate ideas and put them into practice.

One of the Hackerson’s interests is growing herbs in the understory. They are currently researching ginseng, specifically American Ginseng (Panax quinquefolius), a perennial plant in the ivy family that is native to eastern North America, though it is now relatively rare in the wild due to overharvesting. Some herbs like blue cohosh already grow on parts of the property, and they hope to find or plant other species like black cohosh and goldenseal.

The Hackersons were delighted to find that Jeff Jourdain was familiar with forest herbs. “I wanted somebody who I can talk to about these things, and we just clicked with Jeff. He knew what we were talking about and knew what we wanted to do,” Ross Hackerson explained. They have also been working closely with Emily Boss, who has researched the logistics, feasibility and economic considerations of growing plants in the understory. They sounded very upbeat about the prospects for growing herbs. “You need the right soil, and we have the right soil in the right places.”

Pollarding with standards is another forest management technique that the Hackersons are investigating. Pollarding involves cutting a tree stem six to nine feet above the ground. After it is cut, the stem will sprout new branches. After a period of time these new branches will be harvested, leaving the stem. This process can be repeated indefinitely. This technique is very similar to coppicing, except coppice trees are cut near to the ground. An area that is managed as “pollarding with standards” also retains a few trees per acre that are not cut through several cycles. These “standards” can grow to large diameters, due to increased access to light and other resources.

There are several useful aspects to pollarding. Animals can graze in the understory without putting the new tree shoots at risk. Pollarding can also encourage understory diversity. New branches on pollards grow relatively quickly, and can be used for firewood or as a source of biofuels.

“We’re trying to set up the infrastructure of a diversified forest,” says Ross Hackerson, “But we are just beginning.” Currently the Hackersons have approximately 70 laying hens, as well as an apiary. In the long run they would like to turn 25-30 acres into farm or pasture, and keep the rest as forest. They are working closely with Tom Ryan, Jeff Jourdain and the Massachusetts Woodlands Cooperative to develop management plans and practice sustainable forestry.

The Hackerson’s interests extend beyond the borders of their land. They have discussed several other plans with the town officials, who have been very responsive. “They were really wonderful in terms of helping figure out what we could and could not do and how to do it,” Ross Hackerson explained. He also mentioned how helpful people have been as they learn more about their forest and forest management. “The thing that has made the biggest difference has been our neighbors. Everybody in this community is terrific, and our neighbors have been incredible. They’ve helped us with everything from hay to wood. It’s one of the things that makes a community.”

The Hackersons are very interested in your comments and ideas. If you have questions or comments for them feel free to send an e-mail to:

Emily Boss on Growing Herbs in the Understory:

Some advantages of understory crop production are the ability to have ongoing income from your forests to supplement the intermittent income that timber may provide. There are also ecological benefits: cultivating native plants can be a way to re-introduce scarce species back into the ecosystem. Other benefits are the enjoyment of being involved with your land, and the educational benefits of working with these plants and other endeavors.

Disadvantages are that there is often a steep learning curve associated with understory crop production, and many of the plants (such as ginseng) take a long time to come to maturity. If intentded for commerical production, markets have to be assessed and cultivated along with the plants, which takes a whole other set of skills. It is best for landowners interested in producing understory crops to start at the very beginning by assessing their family or business's ability to undertake the project, and to choose achievable goals that will not overwhelm or overextend them.

For more information you can review the documents below, or contact Emily Boss of the Massachusetts Woodlands Cooperative at:

• Understory Crop Feasibility Study: Landowner Overview (pdf)
• Understory Crops (pdf)
• American Ginseng Production (pdf)