Summer 1999 volume 8, Number 3
BARTON'S 1999 NORTH CENTRAL TREE FARM WINNER
by Thom Kinney, Tree Farm District Chairman
The Barton's from Poland, Indiana (Spencer County) were selected as the North Central Regional Tree Farmers of the year recently. The American Forest Foundation judging team toured their tree farm this past July and selected them as the best in the area. The North Central region includes Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio and Wisconsin. They will be judged with three other regions and the winner will become the National Tree Farmer of the Year. The selection will be announced in November at the national convention of the Tree Farm Program in Louisville, Kentucky.
Woody Barton and his wife, Ann, always have a friendly greeting to visitors who drive up the steep, half-mile long lane through their 336 acre southern Indiana farm. Their tree farm while off the beaten path, is a shining testimony of forest management and the diverse beauty of this unique ancestral land. Woody's great grand-father was just seven years old when the family settled on the property in 1863. Woody says he is very fortunate to have known his great grand parents and to have spent his early summers shadowing his great grandfather and learning of the trees, plants and the animals on this farm. One of the many interesting stories Woody has about his great grandfather is that the first trees planted on the property were 4 American chestnuts planted in 1863 from seeds the family brought with them from Belmont County Ohio.
Woody and Ann are the parents of four children, David, Donald, Daniel and Rebecca and grandparents to an increasing group of grandchildren. They like to show visitors a 1935 photo of Woody with his grandmother and a Christmas 1998 photo of Woody with seven of their grandchildren. He makes a point to show that the pictures are taken at the some location but the 1935 photo has a background of an open field where the 1998 photo shows a forest. 58 acres of the Barton's farm have been continuously owned by the family since 1863 but the balance was sold in 1942 after his great grandfather died. In 1980 Woody and Ann purchased the 'Home Place' and moved there in 1981.
The 58 acre tract was purchased from Woody's grandmother in 1953 and the family has spent many pleasant hours learning about the forest, cutting grope vines, girdling cull trees and maintaining the access roads. The time spent and the lessons learned while working on this 58 acre tract were a valuable start in learning how to manage woodlands.
Educated in engineering, Woody sought our Professional Forestry assistance and in 1962 the Indiana DNR District forester assisted with an inventory and a management plan. This first plan has been followed with regular updates, inventories in 1980, 1990 and one is planned for 2000. He has had inventories every 10 years on the "Home Place" and started with a management plan at the time of acquisition. The Engineer comes out when you see computer spreadsheet data on inventories on each of the six management areas he has identified and complete data on 5 timber sales they have held. Woody believes you cannot manage without data and he is quick to point out that the Barton Tree Farm growth is 168 board feet per acre per year. The goal is to increase that growth in volume and quality and to make the Tree Farm so productive that the next generation will see that the property, when managed, is the proverbial "goose that laid the golden egg".
The Bartons have done estate planning so that a plan is in place to pass the property to their children.
The woodland management practiced by Mr. Barton is a healthy mix of the experiences of over 65 years observation of nature's process, the practices he learned from his great grandfather and the scientific management recommendations from Professional Foresters. He has a deep respect for the natural processes that work to evolve the forest. When giving a tour of the property he shows the visitor a lonely Black Walnut growing on a west facing slope and surrounded by trees better adapted to the site. He explains that he has "hugge"' that Walnut over 30 years and in that time the tree has only gone from about 10 inches DBH to about 15 inches DBH. It really gives the visitor a laboratory example of what the Professional Forester is meaning when he recommends certain species of trees for certain sites.
The first management plan for the 58 acre parcel advised that wild grape vines were a detriment to good forest health and they should be killed from the crop trees. This prescription has been followed and today the vines are only found at the woods fringe where they do no harm and provide beneficial food for wildlife.
Deer hunting is a part of the forest management. Some hunters have used the property for nearly 30 years. They respect the privilege, they limit deer browse damage and they report any problems in the timber stand. They make a joke with Woody if they find some grape vines he has missed.
The positive response to forest management can be proved by Mr. Barton's records. The 1962 inventory on the 58 acre parcel estimated growth of 124 BD FT per acre per year. The 1990 inventory analysis proves that the growth rate is now at 168 BD FT per acre per year which is a 35% increase in growth rate!
Woody treats timber harvest as a major element of his management. The 58 acre parcel was severely cut in 1939 when his grandmother was widowed. A 1985 harvest removed a number of lower grade trees to give the growth to the best quality. The 1962 inventory showed nothing of veneer quality. The 1980 inventory showed 19,000 BD FT and the 1990 inventory was 92,000 BD FT! This is forest management with documented results and Woody has made it a mission to accurately document his management activity and share it to encourage other land owners to be good stewards of their woodlands.
Eager to learn the techniques of forest management, Woody and his oldest son have taken the Purdue University short course on "Forest Management for the Private Woodland Owner" in 1995. He has also encouraged a number of his neighboring landowners to take the course. He has taken the short course on Farm Estate planning. He has been active in the Tree Farm program and is Indiana Member #831. The Tree Farm sponsored "Forest Stewardship" meetings have been attended to take advantage of the educational materials presented. You can count on Woody and Ann to be present at the Indiana Forestry and Woodland Owners Association to hear about the latest in Forest Management and take part in discussions with other woodland owners.
This is a Tree Farmer who makes a difference. He makes a difference with his family who has passed on a love for the farm and an interest in good management. He makes a difference with his neighbors who he is always willing to help and show the results of timber management. He makes a difference by his willingness to make presentations and write articles about his experiences that are punctuated with his enthusiasm and emphasized with supporting data. Woody makes it a priority to know and communicate with other groups in the Forestry community, including all organizations, Purdue University, Indiana DNR and a number of the National organizations. He knows and maintains contact with his state and national legislators.
Woody cherishes his family, is a good steward of his woodland, helps his neighbors and takes his citizenship seriously.
P.S. The nickname "Woody" goes back to his school days and, though appropriate, is not something associated with his interest in Tree Farming. The full name is William Woodrow Barton.