Green Horizons

Landowners at the Malinmor Tree Farm Day received on-the-ground . information on directional tree felling.

More than 50 landowners from across northeast Missouri gathered at Malinmor Hunt Club in Pike County on a nice Saturday morning this past May to learn how to manage their forests for successful timber production and wildlife habitat. This Tree Farm Field Day was co-sponsored by the Missouri Department of Conservation and Malinmor. Coordinators Kristen Goodrich, MDC Resource Forester, and Rick Merritt, Mailnmor Manager were extremely grateful for all of the natural resource professionals who gave up their Saturday to make the event a success.

Participants visited eight areas on the 2,000 acre Malinmor property to see, first-hand, on-the-ground practices and talk to a wide range of local resource professionals about their own farms. Topics ranged from Quality Deer Management^TM and pond stocking to tree identification and timber stand improvement. They also got to see the soil profile found on the property and watch a logger demonstrate the art of directional felling using what is called in the trade a "hinge" cut.

Attendees also got to go "below ground" and learn about site productivity.

Landowners learned the importance of determining their personal objectives and how to make their own forests more productive to meet those objectives; whether it be for recreation, hunting, or timber harvest. Professionals at each stop showed practices they had assisted with or had knowledge of and fielded a wide array of excellent questions from participants.

Lunch was provided by the owners of Malinmor and was held at the scenic lake. This allowed landowners and professionals the opportunity to mingle and share comments and questions. The consensus at the end of the day was to hold another field day next year and go more in depth into timber harvesting practices. Look for another great Tree Farm field day next year.

For more information about the Tree Farm Program, timber management, and wildlife management, contact your local Missouri Department of Conservation Office (www.mdc.mo.gov/forest/myforester-search.html).