Green Horizons

Tree Farm conference: Update for 2014

By Brian Schweiss

The 34th annual Tree Farm conference was held April 18 - 19, 2014 on Bill and Margie Haag’s property in southern Callaway County, Mo. The Haags’ efforts toward forest and wildlife habitat management have earned them the right to be named Missouri Tree Farmer of the Year in 2013.

The conference was a two day event with registration and a program on Friday afternoon, concluding with field tours and lunch on Saturday. Friday afternoon began with a seminar on Missouri woods. Lynn Barnickol led the program and provided samples of the many kinds of wood and impressed the audience with words like "parenchyma" (cells in trees that function primarily in the storage and conduction of food).

Saturday featured multiple field tour destinations before and after lunch, a silent auction and an awards ceremony to honor our conference hosts. Participants viewed managed and unmanaged forests and saw the benefits of good management. They looked at young regeneration cuts or clearcuts and learned why young "brushy" growth is good for wildlife. After lunch they learned about chainsaw safety and tree felling, and tips for a successful timber sale.

Bill and Margie were recognized over lunch with the Tree Farmer of the Year Award. The Haags have been passionate about wildlife management and healthy forests ever since they first acquired land in 1996. A strong interest in upland wildlife is a motivating force for them. Their 900 acres has been ambitiously managed for forest health, wildlife habitat, water quality and recreation. In addition to deer and turkey, Bill is improving conditions for ruffed grouse through forest management efforts and timber sales. The young brushy growth developing from the TSI and regeneration style harvest is an ideal habitat for the grouse as well as a wide range of other species.

Bill has promoted this style of management to neighboring landowners since 2003, through a workshop he co-hosts with the Ruffed Grouse Chapter of the Quail and Upland Wildlife Society, and the Missouri Department of Conservation. During the workshop, interested landowners and tree farmers tour the property and see the benefits of active forest management.

Tree Farm is an excellent program to engage and promote action. For landowners that are hungry for more information and want to take their management plans to the next level, Tree Farm provides a network of professionals and topics relevant to their interests. Through Tree Farm, Bill and Margie have tapped into a network of resources to develop their vision for their land. As a result, they are now a leading example for Missouri Tree Farmers. There is no better testimony for Tree Farm and sustainable forest management than Bill and Margie’s story.

For more information on Missouri Tree Farm, go to the Forest and Woodland Association of Missouri website at www.forestandwoodland.org.

Tom Westhoff (in red) describes how Bill Haag uses small-acreage clearcuts to develop patches of early successional forests across his farm’s landscape to bring back ruffed grouse. Not only did Bill create good wildlife habitat, but he generated approximately $800 per acre from the sale of merchantable timber, and he regenerated his forest for future generations.

2013 Tree Farmers of the Year; Bill and Margie Haag, along with their son Bill, Jr.

Our 2013 Tree Farmers of the Year; Bill and Margie Haag, along with their son Bill, Jr. Presenting the Haags with their award are: MDC State Forester, Lisa Allen (far left); MDC Resource Forester, Angela Belden (left) and private consulting forester, Josh Stevens (far right).