| John Keesey, consulting forester for Shannondale Tree Farm near Salem, discusses silvicultural techniques used on the tree farm to program attendees. |
The Missouri State Tree Farm Committee began in 1947. Arthur Meyer, district forester with the Missouri Conservation Commission, was the first chairman of the committee. Other original committee members were Ed Wood of National Distilleries, L. E. McCormick with University of Missouri Extension,
B. L. Groesbeck with the U.S. Forest Service and J. C. Kopitke with the S.C.S. (now the Natural Resources Conservation Services). Now sponsored by the Missouri Forest Products Association(MFPA), the state program boasts 1,001 certified Tree Farms with 297,655 acres enrolled in the program.
National Distilleries was the first certified Tree Farm in Missouri with 86,000 acres. (A significant portion of the farm was sold and now forms part of Pioneer Forest.) Today, the 4,040-acre Shannondale Community Center and Tree Farm, certified in 1949, is the oldest, single ownership Tree Farm in Missouri. It was originally purchased to allow the forest to recover after having been heavily cut over during the early part of the century. By 1974, the forest needed a comprehensive inventory and a more detailed management plan, which was written for Shannondale by Missouri Department of Conservation Foresters, Gary Smith and Rick Kammler. With minor variations, the plan is still followed today.
As part of the 50th Anniversary celebration, a formal ceremony was held in a stand of virgin shortleaf pine where membership certificates were awarded to the first ten landowners in the state program. During the last 50 years, there have been two nationally-recognized certified tree farms in Missouri. The John Powell Tree Farm was the Midwest Region Tree Farm Of The Year in the national "Tree Farmer of the Year" competition and Horse Creek Tree Farm (John and Connie Johnson) won the same award.
| Jeff Fulk, of Shannondale Tree Farm, accepts a special 50-year sign and certificate presented by Missouri Tree Farm Chairman Larry Harper and American Forest Foundation Director Bob Simpson. Fred Crouse, MDC forester, looks on. |
- Bob DeWitt, Tree Farm contributing editor