Description
There are hazelnut species that are native to the northeastern United States, but the nuts these native plants produce are on the small side. The hazels we eat and use in many product come mostly from species in Europe, but the plants aren’t cold or disease hardy! For many years, breeders in the U.S. have been crossing the American and European hazels to form new hybrids. Now is the best time to plant hazelnuts in history!
The nuts of these hybrid hazelnuts are super high in protein. They also have a very high oil content, which is incentivizing farmers in our region to invest in nut oil processing equipment to get the northeastern nut oil industry off the ground.
The wood of hazelnut is also very valuable. The stems can be cut to the ground regularly to generate excellent pole wood as a part of a regular coppicing schedule.
Become a part of the budding NYS hazelnut movement!
Growth Parameters:
The exact size of seedling hybrid hazelnuts is hard to predict due to genetic diversity amongst seedlings. Generally, you can expect a shrub 8 to 15 feet tall, and probably 6 to 10 feet wide. Certainly accepts some shade, however will be most productive in full sun.
Plant at least two for cross pollination.
Also many hazelnuts prove to be fairly jugalone (black walnut) tolerant, so experiment with hazels under black walnuts where other species aren’t thriving.
