AREA 7 – Transitional Nut & Orchard Bridge (≈0.07 ac)

Role: Long-term structural backbone + mid-slope productivity

Why here:

Slightly cooler, moister mid-lower slope is ideal for nuts and late-blooming orchard trees.

Refined tree mix (8 total):

• Hazelnuts × 3 (three cultivars, staggered pollen timing)
• Chestnut × 1
• Apple × 2 (late-flowering, disease-resistant cultivars)
• Persimmon × 1
• Serviceberry × 1

What changed:

• Added a third hazelnut → better wind pollination + yield stability
• Swapped elderberry → serviceberry here for:
• earlier flowers
• lighter canopy
• better transition between orchard and shrub zones
• Reduced overlap with Areas 8 & 9

Functionally:

This area now clearly says “nuts + reliable orchard fruit”.