Ever wonder what the real value is in an investment that takes 30 or more years to pay off?

Everyone who plants the genetically superior black walnut wrestles with this question at least once before deciding to go ahead.

The extended Lantz Family of Fulton County, Ohio, say the answer is rooted in the family.

At the end of the third full year--they were planted in 1992--the trees are averaging about 20 feet tall and about 3 1/4 inches in diameter.

And it's not just an economic answer, although that's obviously very important.

The elder Lantzs, Marv and Sharon, have a plantation of 760 Purdue patented trees. Their son, Wendell, and daughter-in-law, Dawn, have 320 trees. Wendell and Dawn have three children, Cole 8, Autumn 4, and Dylan 1.

Wendell Lantz shows off one of his fine Purdue Number One Specimens.

Cole helps his father and grandfather with the trees and is quite knowledgeable about weeding and helping with the irrigation system his father uses.

Marv and Sharon also have three married daughters and 11 grandchildren. And, according to Marv, they're all involved one way or another in the plantation.

Ultimately, it's the children and grandchildren who benefit, though with these faster-growing trees, Marv and Sharon could also benefit.

However, the answer to the question posed ealier isn't simply that all three generations will hopefully enjoy the financial rewards of the pay-off. An additional, even more important benefit is that the long term of the investment tends to unite the generations behind a mutally beneficial cause.

Day after day, year after year, the trees are there...growing reminders of their joint commitment to one another and to their future.

Despite stripping the patented trees of scion wood each year, which according to Dr. Beineke has probably interfered with their growth, this tree, a Tippecanoe Number One, measures over eight inches in diameter DBH. At 12 years of age, that comes to an average increase in diameter of over 2/3" per year.

Not far from the black walnut clone bank at Martell Forest is another black walnut realm. This plantation of a little over 3/4 acres belongs to the man who created the genetically superior black walnut cultivars patented by Purdue University, Dr. Walter Beineke.

The plantation is both an investment, which Dr. Beineke believes will pay handsomely upon harvesting, as well as a continuation of the research he's conducted under Purdue's banner.

The trees, which include both grafted trees and seedlings, were planted from 1980 through 1984. The older portion of the plantation now numbers 110 trees, having been thinned from 159 trees to provide more space.

The newer section originally consisted of 334 trees planted on 6-foot by 12-foot centers and has since been thinned to 132 trees.

"I selected the 6-foot by 12-foot planting grid to test the efficacy of thinning as a plantation strategy," Dr. Beineke said during TREE TOPICS visit with him on July 29. "At first, thinning was not a difficult job. Now, however, it's not only physically difficult, it's mentally and emotionally difficult. We've already thinned 245 trees* and we need to thin another 50 trees to maintain optimal growth rates. That means we'll have to destroy 50 perfectly good trees. It's not a very pleasant task."

Just how well are the trees doing? "The average diameter of the trees in the older section, where the trees range from 12 to 14 years of age, is over 6 1/2 inches," said Dr. Beineke, "and that includes seedlings as well as some of the patented grafts. In 1993, 20 of these trees grew between .7 inch and 1.1 inch in diameter."

However, it would be a mistake to conclude that this phenomenal growth is because of genetics alone. "No tree, no matter how superior its genes are, will do well if it's not cared for properly," said Beineke.

Dr. Beineke stands by a tree, which, despite its excellent form, must be thinned because it is surrounded by four other good trees. (Note the leaf mulch provided free of charge by the city of Lafayette, Indiana. This fall the leaves will be spread throughout the plantation to a uniform depth of about one foot.)

"Proper care--to put it in the most simplest terms--is primarily a matter of seeing to it that the trees are getting enough to eat and drink."

The soil is a Genesee sandy loam, which is very good for the trees. The normal pH is about 6.5, which Beineke adjusts upwards by adding ashes from his wood-burning furnace.# He applies a year's worth of ashes (25 to 30 gallons) to one-third of the plantation every year, so that each tree is treated every three years.

Much of Dr. Beineke's treatment centers on mulching with leaves, which the city of Lafayette happily provides free of charge. By spreading the leaves throughout the plantation, weed competition is suppressed, moisture is retained and, as the leaves decompose, nutrients for the trees are produced.

By making sure the leaf mulch is never more than one foot deep, the heat generated by rapid decomposting, which can harm the trees' roots, doesn't take place.

In addition to using a leaf mulch to control weeds, Beineke occasionally sprays with Round-up.

Dr. Beineke stands at the edge of the area where Round-up was applied June 10th.

Pruning is an important yearly event. Beineke's goal is to create a clear mainstem up to about 17 to 20 feet high, which he achieves using a Power Pruner chainsaw.

To augment the nutrients provided by the decomposition of leaf matter, Beineke sometimes applies fertilizer. Last year he applied 100 pounds of urea to the older section of the plantation and in April of this year applied 12-12-12 to the entire plantation.

As for micro-nutrients, Dr. Beineke hasn't seen the need to supplement what the trees are getting from the leaf mulch.

An avid woodworker, Dr. Beineke has made several pieces of furniture from the wood of some of the tree that were thinned earlier.

His goal is to begin harvesting in ten to 15 years. It looks as if he's well on his way.

Dr. Beineke stresses the importance of keeping an accurate log not only of care and maintenance, such as how much and when fertilizer and herbicide were applied, but also of the dimensions of each tree.

*Eleven trees died, all in the first couple years, five of which were replanted.
#Dr. Beineke is also a dedicated gardener and recycler. His sole source of heat at home is his wood furnace. Much of the wood comes from thinned trees too small to use in woodworking. He then spreads the ashes from his furnace over the plantation. Plus, he fertilizes his garden with compost from organic waste, which comes primarily from that garden.