Forestry

Forestry at Tall Timbers is all about seeing the forest, the trees, the wildlife, and associated understory plant communities. Consistent with this holistic perspective we are aware of the potential for forest management activities to influence system function, and thus wildlife habitat and the species that are dependent on a particular forest structure. Each wildlife species has specific niche requirements and stand structural characteristics provide the visual cues that determine habitat suitability. Prescribed fire plays a key role in the ecological management of southern pine ecosystems, and particularly those dominated by longleaf pine.

We at Tall Timbers recognize the array of values that forest landowners associate with this land from income producing forest products to the scenic beauty of open piney woods. Landowners expressed these values to us in a series of interactive sessions in 2002 and they include:

• Passing on the land in as good or better condition than when received
• Preservation of biodiversity
• Sustainability
• Conservation
• Recreational value
• Aesthetics
• Keeping the property intact and in the family

Forestry research at Tall Timbers has been an important component from the start when Henry Beadel dedicated his estate to the formation of Tall Timbers Research Station in 1958. He wanted to establish a place where forest dynamics could be studied over the long-term in the context of the natural fire regime. Research began with the Stoddard Fire Plots, which were established in 1959 to examine the role of fire frequency in forest succession. These plots have been viewed by literally thousands of individuals from around the globe. This study was established by Tall Timbers co-founders Herbert L. Stoddard, Sr. and Leon Neel, who would later go on to develop a silvicultural system of forest management based on natural forest dynamics of longleaf pine. The Stoddard-Neel system of forestry has been the subject of much research and has been used for decades in the Red Hills region and is increasingly being applied by progressive landowners in the southeastern U.S.

The judicious application of the Stoddard-Neel system in conjunction with other appropriate forest management practices such as the use of frequent fire, have enabled the perpetuation of the endangered red-cockaded woodpecker and native goundcover species like wiregrass on private lands in the Red Hills. The Red Hills region is host to the highest density of these woodpeckers and the greatest extent of native groundcover found on private lands. The conservation and scenic value of these lands is unparalleled as a result of our holistic approach to forest management.

The Forestry program seeks to build on this legacy by conducting research on ecologically based forest management practices intended to provide state-of-the-art information to managers and landowners alike. We provide guidance on forest management that recognizes the complete range of landowner objectives from an emphasis on forest products to those that prioritize wildlife objectives. Our goal is to provide science based information that balances economic and conservation considerations.

Longleaf Ecosystem Restoration

At Tall Timbers, we are sensitive to the needs of forest landowners in devising forest management plans. We are also motivated by our responsibility as a conservation organization to encourage restoration of the once great longleaf forest that is currently limited to a few relicts scattered across the southeast. During the last decade our forest management activities have focused on longleaf restoration on our own properties. This is of great benefit to forest landowners as we have practical experience behind the recommendations that we make. As more research on establishment and development of longleaf is completed our hopes rise for the future of this threatened ecosystem.