Profitable Trees
Believe it or not, if you start a tree growing operation you can truly have it made in the shade! There are a handful of profitable trees to target for the best results, but why grow trees in the first place? That’s easy. If you are a fan of the outdoors and are fond of spending much of that time with plant life, growing trees is a natural fit. Plus, as a renewable resource you can grow a number of varieties in a space as small as a backyard and still turn a reasonable profit.
The key to success with this is to concentrate on the most profitable trees, or in other words, the ones that present value-added opportunities. This essentially means that the tree has an added value when it can be used to create a new and different product in addition to being a tree.
Tree farming is not new and is best known as a form of agro forestry where trees are grown strictly to be farmed – harvested and sold. If you have ever wondered about where Christmas trees come from when you see them for sale in a parking lot or at your favorite grocery store and how they are grown to look so perfect – they would have been planted and grown in a tree farm.
Christmas trees are probably the best known of the tree farm harvests but there are others that you can easily grow on a small scale and still earn some extra cash doing so. Here are 5 profitable trees to consider:
Japanese Maple
Profitable Japanese Maple Trees
The Japanese Maple is a relatively small tree so space is not essential other than you should be able to produce a large number of them in a piece of land that would otherwise hold fewer trees. Japanese Maple trees with trunks in the 2-inch diameter range are prized for landscaping purposes. These trees have a variety of leaf shapes and colors and can grow in most any climate. Prices earned for Japanese Maple trees can range from between $100 and $1,000 for specimen trees.
American Elm
The American Elm is a fast growing shade tree that can grow to a huge size depending on where it is grown. What makes this a popular and profitable tree is that it is a favorite for shade. It also can live a very long time, up to 300 years! They are native to Eastern United States and parts of Canada and are a type of tree that can weather stress and temperature changes better than most any tree known to man.
Flowering Dogwood
Flowering Dogwood trees are another of the favorites for landscaping. This is because of their attractiveness providing beautiful splashes of color at two times of year – blooms in spring and amazingly bright foliage in autumn. These trees are also very successful in various growing zones and if you live in Zones 3 to 7, you will be able to add the Flowering Dogwood to your tree farm plans.
Bonsai
Profitable Bonsai Elm Tree
Everyone has heard of the tiny Bonsai Tree. So tiny that some are as small as a felt tip marker and mature maples can grow to the size of – wait for it – 18-inches in height. These little wonders were made popular centuries ago as part of Japanese culture and are still a great gift for a table top choice of a tree that does not take up much room but still looks like a tree.
The size of these trees mean even the smallest corner of land in your yard can produce a number of Bonsai trees. They still hold value and can return a large profit.
Shrub Trees
Another great choice of small tree growers is shrub trees. There are many to choose from including:
Abutilon, a flowering maple which never stops blooming
Azalea, a hardy and colorful plant with thousands of varieties
Camellia, a slow growing, dense shrub known as a “tea tree”
Cercis, an easy to train small tree with flowers than can be used in salads
Cotinus, a smoke bush with colorful blossoms and fall brilliance
Escallonia, an evergreen shrub of 50 different species and a popular Bonsai trainer
Gardenia, a fragrant Chinese native shrub that is a vigorous grower
Hibscus, featuring large blooms, this one is always a popular choice
Lantana, a perennial shrub that produces small flower clusters year round
Photinia, a fast grower with red leaves that turn green late in the year
Punica, perfect for small yards and patios growing only to about 10-feet tall
Pyracantha, a hardy grower with bright yellow-orange berries in fall and winter
So, as you can see, the only limitation to what you can do with growing profitable trees is your imagination. For more information on growing trees for profit, read “Growing Trees For Profit,” available at: www.profitableplantsdigest.com