Russell Skinner
Container-grown trees are a new idea in Florida, but that won't stop Skinner who comes from a long heritage of pioneers.
By Julia Kerns Garmendia
Florida Nurseryman, November 1982
Russell Skinner is a quiet, soft spoken young man who has a lot to tell. He can patiently explain the century-old history of his family, their move to Jacksonville in the late 1800s, the turpentine mills they built, or he can talk to landscapers about container-grown trees--the modern day venture of the latest generation of Skinners.
Skinner IS his family. There is an evident pride in his father and grandfather's investments, their diverse businesses and in the fact that the family history has been well preserved.
According to Jacksonville residents who know of Russell and the Skinner family, "they have been around a long time. They're history, and Jacksonville is the thriving city it is today because of people like the Skinners who settled, stayed here, and helped to build this community."
In 1898, Skinner's great-grandfather moved with his wife and seven sons from Georgetown, South Carolina, to Jacksonville. Like Skinner today, his great-grandfather depended on trees--the pine trees so abundant in North Florida--for his business.
Turpentine was an important product in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Skinner's ancestor bought 50,000 acres of prim pine-covered land to extract the valuable sap from pine trees for the production of turpentine. The rural town of Jacksonville-named after Andrew Jackson in 1822--was in the approximate center of the land they owned, so the family settled there.
Today, The Old Still, as it has been affectionately called by generations of Skinners, is the home site of Skinner's parents, Bryant and Betty Skinner. Their home was constructed in 1973 within sight of the leaf and moss-covered stones of those early turpentine mills.
Skinner is upholding that long tradition of business foresight and success. He recalled, with awe, that his grandfather managed to hang onto his share of the Skinner land through the Depression. With that same patience and tenacity, Skinner is building a container-grown tree operation in Jacksonville. (Like Skinner today, his great-grandfather depended on trees, the pine trees so abundant in North Florida, for his business.)
A degree in business and finance would put most graduates behind large desks, wearing correct pinstriped suits in crowded downtown offices. Skinner dresses casually, is relaxed and friendly whether talking to a field hand or business prospect. He does have a large desk, but his office is located, not on Main Street, but in an unpretentious building in the middle of approximately 50 acres of container-grown trees.
When Skinner talks about his wholesale container-grown trees, he is animated and excited about the future of this fledgling business.
"The container-grown tree industry is going to take off in the Southeast. We feel like it's going to become even more popular as time goes on. The general public is beginning to become more educated about the advantages of these trees. It takes time…just like the first shrubs grown in containers. Everyone said it couldn't be done and now that's all you see." Container-grown trees are not a new idea.
Ten years ago when Russell, his father Bryant and brother Bryant Junior were looking for a profitable use for their land, they discovered that container-grown trees were big business in California. After a few years of research and visits to the major container-grown tree operations in California, the Skinners began their own production of 50 acres, ten miles south of Jacksonville, in 1972.
By 1976, Skinners Wholesale Nursery had saleable-sized container-grown pine, oak, magnolia and other shade trees. From the initial plantings of 10,000 trees, the nursery has grown to approximately 50,000 trees destined for use by landscape contractors, architects, municipalities and special development or restoration projects.
"Container-grown trees have many advantages over traditional balled and burlap trees," Skinner said. "The tree does not experience shock when it is planted at the location site. The container is simply removed and the roots are not damaged. With proper watering and fertilization, the tree will continue to grow--it won't be stunted. Container-grown trees can be transported in any weather and are easy to move around at the installation site."
The price of a large container-grown tree is approximately 40% more than a balled and burlap tree. Growth time for container-grown trees is 20-40% longer, resulting in greater production costs and a higher price tag.
"But like any product, when the contractor knows he's getting a more manageable, better product, he's willing to pay the extra cost of producing that product," Skinner explained. "And once they've used our trees, they don't go back to B and B."
The nursery is neat like a well organized park. The trees loom in rows that stretch endlessly across the Skinner property.
Each container is connected to a drip irrigation system, and sits on long concrete platforms that enhance drainage, according to Skinner. Bright blue 15-and 30-gallon polyethylene drums contain the straight rows of crape myrtle, weeping willow, pines, river birch, elms, oaks and tulip poplar trees.
Skinner ships trees all over the country, and describes his products as best adapted for use in an area extending north to Atlanta, west as far as West Texas, and south to New Orleans, Baton Rouge and Fort Lauderdale in Florida.
Skinners Wholesale Nursery has been a member firm of FNGA since it began production 10 years ago, Skinner said. As the new president of FNGA's Northeast Chapter, Skinner has an opportunity to try his ideas and to share his own style of industry professionalism with fellow nurserymen and women.
A commemorative shrine at The Old Still--the Skinner family homesite--declares their respect for the courage of their early family ancestors. That same courage, and respect for work and success, is evident at Skinner Wholesale Nursery, and in Russell Skinner.