The past year was a busy year for the L-A-D Foundation, according to their recently released 2022 Annual Report. According to their website, the foundation, incorporated in 1962, is dedicated to the responsible management of Pioneer Forest as a working demonstration of renewable resource use compatible with the long-term carrying capacity and health of the land and water.
The foundation also acquires and preserves, in the interest of the public, outstanding areas of natural, geologic, cultural, or historic interest. In addition, the foundation provides support to various projects consistent with its conservation goals, with a particular focus on the Missouri Ozark region.
“Year 2022 saw an emphasis on partnership-building for the L-A-D Foundation that had an impact on all aspects of our organization and promises more for the future, not only for us but also for the communities in which we work and live,” said L-A-D Foundation President Susan Flader in an opening statement for the report.
The report outlines various initiatives, studies, events, projects, and updates from the L-A-D Foundation over the course of 2022. The foundation performed trail repairs, made efforts to protect imperiled species such as the Tall Larkspur plant and the Whip-Poor-Will, and executed prescribed burns to restore forest areas such as Jerktail Glade.
Overall, the foundation reports 6,413 acres of forest were harvested in 2022, and 16,372,756 board-feet of lumber was harvested. Sixteen feral hogs were also removed from Pioneer Forest, which has headquarters in Salem.
The foundation reported the important acquisition of a 460-acre parcel of land referred to as the Colwil Lake property. The property has been “a top priority for acquisition,” according to Executive Director Roger Still. The land borders Pioneer Forest on the east, west, and part of the north side, and joins the Ozark Natural Scenic Riverways to the south. According to the foundation, the property fills in an ownership gap, adding to the continuous forest landscape.
“We feared it would be developed,” said Still.
The foundation also acquired two other timbered properties in 2022, as 120 acres in northwestern Shannon County were purchased. The tract borders Pioneer Forest land on the east and west sides. The other tract, 96 acres in Reynolds County, borders Pioneer Forest on the west and joins with MDC land on the other three sides.
According to the report, the L-A-D Foundation has partnered with the Ozark Natural and Cultural Resource Center in Salem to create a mural for the ONCRC building. Artist David Spear has been contracted to design a mural to be painted on the front and sides of the building. The design features images of Ozark natural and cultural scenes.
“With our office in Salem and our Pioneer Forest south of the community, partnering with the center is a logical focus for us to be a good neighbor to the community and the region. We look forward to continuing to financially support the mural project as fundraising for it commences and participating in partnerships like the Smithsonian exhibit,” said Still.
Two new employees joined the Pioneer Forest staff, according to the report. Technician Sam Jewett and Forester Hunter Gordon joined the forestry team in February. Jewett has 17 years of experience as a resource technician and crew leader with the Missouri Department of Conservation. Gordon spent four years with the MDC and graduated from the forestry program at the University of Missouri – Columbia and worked as a research assistant at the Baskett Wildlife Education and Research Center in Ashland.
The Missouri Society of American foresters named Director of Forestry and Stewardship Jason Green of Salem the 2022 Forester of the Year award. The award acknowledges forestry contributions that have far-reaching impacts and “recognizes exemplary on-the-ground management efforts, original thinking, innovation, and creativity in solving a problem with forest management implications.”
According to the report, this winter the foundation is set to conduct their Continuous Forest Inventory (CFI), which when complete will provide a total of 70 years of data on the Pioneer Forest. Work began in late September and will wrap up in March. The foundation expects to have measured 448 existing plots distributed over roughly 143,420 acres of forest.
The Pioneer Forest CFI is the longest running forest inventory of its type in Missouri, according to the foundation, beginning in 1952. Since the area was purchased by founder Leo Drey, the area’s existing plots have been inventoried every five years by the L-A-D Foundation, and new plots are added as land is acquired to maintain a ratio of one plot per 320 acres. The CFI provides a picture of the forest as a whole, the report says. The surveyed plots yield data that will allow foresters and stewards to look at long-term trends such as growth, mortality, regeneration, trees per acre, volume per acre, and species composition.
One way the data is used is to study specific species. Resent research on Pioneer Forest has added depth to existing knowledge about White Oak regeneration and growth, according to the Foundation. For the last two years, the foundation has supported research by University of Missouri graduate student Trystan Harpold. The results of the research suggest that the Foundation’s uneven-aged forest management by single-tree selection continues to perpetuate White Oak regeneration.
Harpold examined how tree stand density, shade, and other conditions affect white oak regeneration from within timber stands managed through uneven-aged methods, and how regeneration has changed over time. His findings, using CFI data, show that tree stand density has increased over time across Pioneer Forest, however, since 1992, the prevalence of white oak saplings has decreased steadily, while the abundance of seedlings has fluctuated, but has not decreased. Overall, Harpold’s findings show that maintaining abundant populations of White Oak saplings and overstory replacement will require regular reduction in stand density to sustain growth. Harpold presented his findings at the Missouri Natural Resources Conference in February.
Foresters have also been looking at other species such as the shortleaf pine. The Himont Pine Management Area is a 470-acre tract that was designed in 2020 to implement a plan to adjust forestry techniques to accommodate the needs of the shortleaf pine. In March 2021, the area was burned in a prescribed fire, and the next two summers were spent conducting a timber sale. The foundation reports that this year, conditions aligned so that a good amount of shortleaf pine could be sold. The report states that the foundation was able to take advantage of the pandemic-era lumber prices, due to short supply. The report notes that market prices have since fallen, but buyers of pine logs still remain.
Shortleaf Pine comprises about 30 percent of the standing timber volume of Pioneer Forest. The species was once dominant across the Ozarks, according to the foundation. Heavy logging during a timber boom around the turn of the 20th century caused the species to decline in prevalence across the nation.
According to the foundation report, the shortleaf pine has different management requirements than Oak, and single-tree selection methods are not well suited for its regeneration, and the species benefits from periodical fires. Some scientists classify the species as fire-dependent, because it cannot regenerate and grow to maturity in large numbers without fire to bare the soil and hamper competition.
Finally, the report recognizes the addition of two new L-A-D Foundation board members, Peter Goode and Nikki Krawitz. Goode, a St. Louis resident, grew up floating, fishing, and hiking in the Missouri Ozarks, specifically the Meramec, Current and Jacks Fork rivers. This upbringing sparked an interest in conservation and environmental issues. He has a BS in Chemical Engineering from the University of Missouri – Columbia, and has experience working for the Department of Natural Resources as an engineer in the Air Pollution Control Program. Goode currently works for the Washington University School of Law’s Interdisciplinary Environmental Clinic, where he provides technical expertise on environmental cases and supervises undergraduate students. He is the son of the late Wayne Goode, a long-time L-A-D board member and treasurer.
Krawitz, CPA, is a Columbia resident with experience in finance, investment, purchasing, and budgeting. Krawitz retired as Vice President for Finance and Administration of the University of Missouri System, where she was responsible for financial and administrative oversight for four campuses and the University of Missouri Health System, and more. She served as a member of the University President’s executive staff and a General Officer, and advised the Board of Curators on finance. She has an MS in Accountancy from University of Missouri – Columbia, an MA in Special Education from Columbia University, and an AB from Washington University in St. Louis.
“I am particularly interested in the exemplary stewardship of Pioneer Forest and other natural areas in the Ozarks and beyond, as well as the support of related scientific research, education, and public recreation. Protection, preservation, and conservation of the natural environment is critical to the functioning of our ecosystem. The work that the L-A-D Foundation supports in this regard impacts the quality of life in Missouri, now and in the future,” said Krawitz.
