Thanks Altair. Some things individuals can do: 1. There is an introductory conservation article that links to these stories that can be submitted to be used in orchid society newsletters. http://www.orchidconservationcoalition.org/pdf/articles/OCCHabitatloss1.pdf This brings awareness of orchid conservation to society members that do not use the internet. 2. Individuals can ask their orchid societies to consider participating in 1% for Orchid Conservation and budgeting 1% of their income to in situ orchid conservation of their choice. If every orchid society did this it would make a big impact on orchid habitat conservation. The donation amounts would not have to be big as it would be a cumulative effect. The OCC does not accept donations. The OCC is a coalition in every since of the word. Mark Sullivan

1. check zoning laws for your property to sell ag. products. 2. If ok ,then apply for state sales tax license. 3a. check your township and county govt. if any permits or licenses are needed. 3b. make sure your homeowners insurance co. is notified so they can add a home business liability to your policy. 4. If ok, come up with a blueprint for growing and a basic business plan. 5. start planting ,make some signs,[provide safe parking areas, design & build your stand. 6. a couple,three weeks before you are ready to open your doors and everything is set put some small adv./announcement that you are now open in your local newspaper,craigslist ,flyers in business bulletin boards and whereever else you can think 7. make sure your product is always fresh and attractive to the eye,price very reasonable and be friendly and available Ihope this helps, good luck,Mark

Even though it's 4.5 years later, this thread has come back to life. I'll update things for any interested readers. Lumber and timber markets for most species hit rock bottom in '09 after the financial/housing bust. Both volume sold/cut and prices paid were shockingly low compared to historical standards. Many loggers and sawmills went out of business. I advised many clients to not sell in '09 and just let the trees grow. Things picked up in late '09 and into '10. Timber/lumber prices for many species like red oak, ash, white oak, yellow poplar, etc. came back to more normal or acceptable levels and buyer interest and enthusiasm also improved. Hard maple and cherry are still off the sky high prices hits in '06/'07. Walnut, due to its scarcity and great international markets, never dropped that much through the financial crisis, especially for veneer quality trees. For example, I sold veneer quality black walnut trees/stumpage in Feb. '09 for $8/b.f. These were 24-28 inch diameter (chest ht.) trees, 60-75 years old, growing on excellent soils in a healthy (no fire history, cattle grazing, etc.) forest. This is obviously not typical, but it does show the potential for great returns with walnut. Things have been pretty steady in the central hardwood market where I work and more landowners are selling this year to take advantage of 15% capital gains tax rate that will likely go away soon due to budget deficits. Planting and growing trees for future timber harvest is very dependent on local site conditions and local timber markets. Advice given based on different geographic locations with different tree species/markets doesn't really apply to someone in southeastern Ohio (originally poster's location). Seek the advice of a professional forester in your area before making any important decisions.

I agree that spinosad is about as organic as you can get for an insect killer. Keep it away from bees, of course. Another way to control moths is to encourage the population of paper wasps living under your eaves. Paper wasps collect caterpillars and bring them back to fill the cells in their nests. When the baby wasps hatch, they have dinner waiting for them. Paper wasps are fairly docile as long as yoou don't panic and wave your arms around and run around. I've got a lot of experience with them. Before I knew what not to do, it was all scary experience. But since then it's all been good. Here's a picture I took from about 2 inches away. Once they recognize you as harmless, they completely ignore you and go about collecting caterpillars.