Carney says more and more people are showing an interest
in tree farming.
“You don’t have to live on site and maintain a tree farm the
same way you do a cattle farm,” said Carney. “Some people
want to live in the city but keep their farm. Some people are
interested in conservation or preservation or aesthetics and
this is a good option for them.”
Carney said that more hardwoods are grown in the southeast than anywhere in the world and the demand from places
like Asia is growing.
On Mulliniks’ property, a variety of hardwoods are now
thriving. There are cherrybark red oak, wild black cherry,
swamp chestnut oak and shumard red oak. He’s experimented
with alternating species because he’s learned that a natural fit
exists between different species that encourage each other to
grow. He’s learned some on his own and some with the help of
experts to come up with a winning formula for healthy trees.
Mullinik said he feels like he’s helping return the land to
its natural state because it was once a dense forest. When
land grants were handed out to settlers, they cut down the
trees so they could farm. They couldn’t feed their families on
acorn nuts. Over time, the land was over farmed and became
degraded by cattle and eroded by water. Trying to reverse a
10
10
century of farming practice has been a challenge, but Mullinik says the work has been worth it.
“It’s the meaning of life really,” he said. “It is our basic human responsibility to preserve. We have to understand we are
part of an ecosystem. While development is necessary, so is
preservation and conservation.”
He says a lot of people don’t realize that middle Tennessee
is extremely well-watered geography and few places are better suited for growing. He also points out that conservation
easements, like the one he has chosen to enact, actually raises
his property values and all those around him.
It would be easy to use monetary gain and tax benefits as
the reason for planting hardwood trees but it’s obvious money isn’t what motivates Mulliniks. There are a lot easier ways
to make money than planting thousands of trees and dealing
with multiple government agencies.
“I just ask one thing of my children in return for all the harvestable trees,” said Mulliniks. To test how well his message
has been received by his children, he asked his nine-year-old
daughter what that one thing is that he wants from them.
“To plant a new one when we cut one down,” answered Annabelle promptly.
And there’s your legacy.