The Hunt for the Hickory
We are conducting a public “Hunt for the Hickory” campaign, seeking to identify existing stands of Yellowbud aka Bitternut Hickory trees that have potential to be harvested for nut oil production. Our "Hickory Heat Map" shows likely stands of hickories across 7 states: VT, NH, ME, NY, PA, MA, and RI. After locating existing hickory stands, landowners may be offered contracts to allow crews of people to clear and maintain the harvest area around the trees in the late summer, and to return in October for harvest to help build a local, sustainable oil supply.
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Yellowbud Harvest 101 Video
The Hunt for the Hickory:
Most people are unaware of the vastness of hickory trees on the east coast. Yellowbud Hickory, also called Bitternut Hickory, is one of the most common, and its nuts can be pressed into a delicious, nutritious cooking oil. The trees are already here, in forests, fields, and backyards. We just need to find them.The White River and Bennington County Natural Resources Conservation Districts in Vermont and the Sullivan County Conservation District in New Hampshire are partnering with Yellowbud Farm and Northern Forest Foods on the Hunt for the Hickory. Together, we are mapping existing stands of Yellowbud Hickory and building a local network to harvest and press their nuts into oil.
Why Hickory Oil?
Rich in oil: The kernel of each nut is 75–80% oil, one of the highest oil contents of any native nut tree. Easy to process: Yellowbud has the thinnest shell and the highest nut-to-shell ratio of any hickory. Great in the kitchen: The bitter tannins stay behind when the nuts are pressed, leaving a light, nutty oil with a smoke point of 400°F. It is suited for frying, baking, dressings, and finishing. Remaining tanin-packed press-cake can be used for smoking meats, salts etc. Built for a changing climate: Yellowbud Hickory grows from Florida to Quebec and thrives in hardiness zones 2–9, tolerating drought, flood, and frost. Low input, long lived: A single tree can live 200 years or more and requires no tilling, irrigation, or chemicals. Already abundant: Hundreds of thousands, possibly millions, of these trees line the Connecticut River Valley alone.
A Young Industry with Deep Roots
Hickory Heat Map Example
Only a handful of producers sell hickory oil in the United States today, and most nuts are still gathered from wild trees. To help this industry grow, our partners built the Hickory Heat Map using roughly 3,300 confirmed Yellowbud Hickory locations. The map shows likely hickory stands across seven states: Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, New York, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island. Request access to the map by completing the contact form above.
History
Indigenous peoples across the eastern United States have processed hickory nuts for hundreds, perhaps thousands, of years. The nuts were ground, shell and all, into a paste, then boiled so the oil could be skimmed from the top. The Algonquian word for this rich, oily milk, pawcohiccora, is the origin of the word “hickory.” Hickory trees were a foundation of food security and were deeply valued. Much of this knowledge was lost through colonization, which is a major reason hickory remains an overlooked crop today. Oak-hickory forests in the East are declining, largely because they depend on active human care. Indigenous land stewardship kept the understory open, allowing hickories and oaks to grow large, with wide, productive canopies. These forests provided abundant food for both people and wildlife. Through careful, ecologically responsible management and harvest, we can help bring that relationship back.