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Buncombe County, North Carolina
Conservation Conversations
Published By
Buncombe County Soil and Water Conservation District
Suite 204, 155 Hilliard Avenue, Asheville, NC 28801
(828) 250250-4785 - www.buncombecounty.org
November 2014
Buncombe County
Friends of Ag Breakfast
Tuesday, November 18, 2014
At 7:00 a.m.
WNC Ag Center, Virginia Boone Building
1301 Fanning Bridge Road
Come join us for the Buncombe County Friends of Ag
Breakfast. Enjoy a complimentary country breakfast.
Chat with farm friends old and new.
BUY YOUR CHRISTMAS TREE AT THE SOIL
AND WATER CONSERVATION DISTRICT!
The Buncombe SWCD is now taking orders for a limited
number of Christmas trees. The trees will be 6
and 7 foot #1 Fraser Firs from Madison County.
Cost will be $30.00 per tree and the proceeds
from the sale will go to fund the District’s
environmental education programs. All trees
will be sold in advance and you can pick them
up at the District office from 10:00 to 5:00 on
November 21st. ORDER A TREE AND HELP OUR
EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS! TO ORDER CALL
THE DISTRICT OFFICE AT 828-250-4785 by
November 14, 2014.
TREE SEEDLING SALE 2015
The Buncombe SWCD will hold its annual
tree seedling sale in March, 2015 at Jesse
Israel and Sons Nursery at the WNC Farmer's
Market. The sale will begin on Friday and run
through Saturday or until we are out of
seedlings.
Guest Speaker: Ila Hatter, Teacher & Lecturer on
Wildcrafting
Topic: “The woods and fields are a table always
spread” for picnics and profit
Date & Times:
March 6
10:00 am – 5:00pm
March 7
9:00am – 5:00 pm
RSVP: MARIA.WISE@BUNCOMBECOUNTY.ORG
OR CALL (828)250-4794
MEGHAN_BAKER@NCSU.EDU OR CALL (828)250-4883
Seedlings will be available on a first-come, first-served
basis on the days of the sale. No pre-orders will
be taken as in past years.
DISTRICT MISSION STATEMENT
The Buncombe County Soil and Water Conservation District’s mission is to conserve the soil, water, and related natural
resources of Buncombe County by providing education, information, technical assistance, and economic incentives to
county citizens and by establishing new programs in concert with other appropriate agencies and organizations to meet
changing needs.
Eastern White Pine seedlings are 25 cents each and the
hardwood species are $1.00 each.
The following species are available:
EASTERN WHITE PINE (Pinus strobus) – a large tree,
commonly 100 feet or more in height and 2
to 4 feet in diameter and well suited to
Buncombe County. White pine is not
suitable for street or roadside planting
although it makes an excellent ornamental
for parks and lawns. Other uses include
planting for Christmas trees, planting along
property lines and other open areas for
windbreaks, and as a noise barrier.
BLACK CHERRY or WILD CHERRY (Prunus
serotina)- Medium sized tree 50’-80’ tall;
rapid growth rate; prefers full sun and grows
in may soil types. Produces white flowers in
early spring and reddish black berries in
summer that attract birds. It is used in
furniture and in flooring.
BLACK WALNUT (Juglans nigra) - a valuable
forest tree that grows among other species on bottomlands
and moist fertile hillsides throughout North Carolina and
across most of the eastern United States. Its more
important uses include fine furniture, cabinetwork and
gunstocks. Its nuts are also prized for distinctive flavor
and nutshells are used as an abrasive in certain
manufacturing processes. The nuts also are a favorite
food of squirrels.
BUTTERNUT (Jugnas cineria) Medium tree with growth; typically found on wetland
sites; wood used for furniture and flooring
CRABAPPLE (Malus ssp.) - a small tree 20 - 40 feet
tall. This tree has aromatic white flowers in spring and
will multiply from its roots. It produces a very popular
food for wildlife and will grow on a wide variety of soil
types and sites.
CRAPEMYRTLE (Lagerstroemia indica) - a flowering
tree with multiple large branches, showy flower panicles,
deciduous tree that is variable in size, averaging about 20
to 25 feet.
DOGWOOD, FLOWERING (Cornus florida) The Dogwood is a small tree 30 - 40 feet tall,
slow to moderate grower, berries may be eaten
by many animal species but are poisonous to
humans.
PERSIMMON (Diospyros virginiana) –grows
throughout North Carolina. Persimmon is a slow growing
tree of moderate size (25 to 50 feet tall with a diameter of
about one-foot). It is sometimes planted for its edible fruit
and is valued as an ornamental.
RIVER BIRCH (Betula nigra) River birch can grow 50 to 90 feet tall but is often seen 40
to 50 feet. It normally grows with a central leader and
small-diameter, dark-colored lateral branches. It lacks the
white trunk bark associated with other birches.
WHITE OAK (Quercus alba) - a large, long-lived tree
species that occurs naturally over most of
the eastern United States. Its acorns are a
valuable, but inconsistent, source of food
for birds and mammals; more than 180
species use these acorns for food.
The information above was edited from the North Carolina
Division of Forest Resources website at:
http://ncforestservice.gov/nursery/pdf/
NCFS_Tree_Seedling_Catalog.pdf
RENEE RAY MOVES TO NRCS
Education Coordinator and Agricultural
Cost Share Soil Conservationist Renee
Ray has accepted a position as Soil
Conservationist with the USDA – NRCS
in the Rutherfordton field office. Renee
has worked at the Buncombe SWCD
since 2009 and has done an excellent job. Although she will be
missed, we are wishing her the very best as she starts down a
new career path. THANK YOU RENEE FOR ALL YOU
HAVE DONE FOR THE BUNCOMBE SWCD!!
AGRICULTURAL EQUIPMENT
DEMONSTRATION
The Buncombe SWCD, the N. C.
Cooperative Extension Service, and the
Southern Appalachian Highlands
Conservancy conducted an agricultural
equipment demonstration on October 1,
2014. The demonstration was conducted on
the incubator farm owned and operated by
the Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy in the
Alexander community. The SWCD demonstrated a post
driver and weed wiper purchased through a grant from the
TVA Agriculture and Forestry fund. Both pieces of
equipment are available for rent to local farmers. The
Cooperative Extension Service demonstrated a bedder
and water wheel transplanter, both purchased by a grant
from the TVA Agriculture and Forestry
Fund which are available for rent to
local farmers. Approximately 25 local
farmers and others attended the
demonstration.
It’s Contest Time!!!
The Buncombe Soil & Water
Conservation District is sponsoring
Conservation Poster, Essay, and Public
Speaking contests this year!
The theme for both contests is
“Wetlands are
Wonderful”.
This encompasses a wide range of idea topics that the
students can incorporate in their competition entries,
such as hydrology, conservation, natural resources, and
many more…
Who’s eligible?
Poster Contest -Any Buncombe County student
(public, private, or home school) in 3rd - 5th
grade!
Essay Contest - Any Buncombe County student
(public, private, or home school) in the 6th grade!
Public Speaking Contest - Any Buncombe County
student (public, private, or home school) in the
7th or 8th grade!
The Poster and Essay contests run until
December 10th, 2014. All entries must reach
the District by 4:00 pm on that date. The Public
Speaking Contest will be held at the District
office on December 11, 2014.
Prizes:
Not only do the contests provide a great way for the
students to explore an issue on their own, but there
are prizes for the students and winning teacher!
There will be a 1st, 2nd & 3rd place countywide awards given in both the Essay and Poster
Contests and 1st place winners will be eligible for the
District Board Members
JIM COMAN
CHASE HUBBARD
JEFF FOSTER
ELISE ISRAEL
DAVID SNELSON
CHAIRMAN
VICE CHAIR
SECRETARY
TREASURER
MEMBER
Area contest.
1st place - $50 cash
2nd place - $25 cash
3rd place - $15 cash
(The teacher of the winning student will receive
$50 gift card)
More information about the contests can be
obtained at:
http://www.buncombecounty.org/
GOVERNING/depts/Soil/ or
taira.lance@buncombecounty.org (828-2504785)
NEW ROLE FOR TAIRA LANCE
Taira has worked for the past three years as a
part time administrative assistant for the
Buncombe SWCD. In November, she will
become the new Administrative Assistant/
Education Coordinator. Please join the
Buncombe SWCD in welcoming Taira to her
new position!
UNDER 'COVER' FARMERS
DOCUMENTARY FEATURES
THREE NORTH CAROLINA
FARMERS
Soil is a living and life-giving natural resource. As world
population and food production demands rise, keeping our
soil healthy and productive is of paramount importance.
So much so that we believe improving the health of our
Nation’s soil is one of the most important conservation
endeavors of our time.
The resources on this soil health section of our site are
designed to help visitors understand the basics and
District and NRCS Staff
GARY HIGGINS
TAIRA LANCE
District Director
Admin. Assistant/Education
Coordinator
ANTHONY DOWDLE NCACSP Soil Conservationist
MARIA WISE
Soil Conservationist/Farmland Pres.
KARA CASSELS
NRCS District Conservationist
ARIEL DIXON
Farm Bill Program Assistant, NRCS
Buncombe County Soil and Water Conservation District
155 Hilliard Avenue, Suite 204
Asheville, NC 28801
benefits of soil health—and to learn about Soil Health
Management Systems from farmers who are using those
systems.
Researcher and filmmaker Buz Kloot's 30-minute
documentary, Under ‘cover’ farmers of Stanley County,
chronicles the journeys of three North Carolina farmers as
they discover and adopt soil health management systems
on their farms. Recently, the video passed 100,000
YouTube views. Kloot's video work, including Season
One of The Science of Soil Health and Soil Health
Lessons in a Minute, is part of an on-going partnership
between NRCS and the University of South Carolina and
can be seen in NRCS’ Soil Health Theater. Search online
on YouTube to view the videos. Listen to how farmers
across the Nation are changing small aspects of their
management style in order to gain big in production!
As always, stop by the Asheville Field Office if you need
additional information or want to talk further about
Conservation Planning on your farm. District Conservationist,
Kara M. Cassels, 828-254-0916 x3 or email at
kara.cassels@nc.usda.gov .
165 RIDERS PARTICIPATE IN CYCLE TO
FARM IN SANDY MUSH 2014
The Sandy Mush Cycle to Farm was
held on October 11, 2014. The event
was held to raise awareness of farmland
preservation and was coordinated by
Velo Girl Rides and co-sponsored by
the Buncombe SWCD.
The 56 mile ride began at Addison Farms Vineyard and
included stops at Gaining Ground Farm, Beulah Farm,
Reeves Home Place, and Sandy Hollars Farm. An
optional extension took riders to the top of Doggett
Mountain and back for a 70 mile ride. At each farm,
riders sampled locally grown food and made purchases
that were delivered to the start/finish point.
MCINTYRE FARMS
WOODMIZER SAWMILLING, NURSERY STOCK
CUSTOM WOODWORKING
TRACTOR & BACKHOE WORK
Swannanoa, NC 28778
Home: 828-298-8429
email: loring.mcintyre@gmail.com
Cell: 828-280-6587