Texas Forestry Association (TFA) recently named Lawrence Kloesel as the 2016 Texas Outstanding Tree Farmer of the Year for the excellent management of his Tree Farm in Houston County. The announcement was made at the Annual Meeting on October 22, 2015 at the Hilton College Station.
Kloesel purchased the 995 acres in 2009, choosing to manage the property for timber income, wildlife habitat and recreational hunting. His management practices include reforestation with Loblolly pine, mulching, prescribed burn, herbicide banding on new plantings, firelanes and food plots. He has been actively involved in improving the health and quality of the trees and the wildlife habitat, which includes bluebird houses and wood duck boxes on areas of his tree farm. He was nominated by Michael Easley, Texas A&M Forest Service, Crockett District.
“We are excited to present Lawrence Kloesel with this award,” said Ron Hufford, TFA Executive Director. “The Kloesel Family Trust is a great example of a tree farmer using every tool available for conservation and is representative of the kinds of partnerships we continue to grow between landowners and natural resource professionals.”
Neal Prince of New York City, NY, was presented with an award as a finalist in Outstanding Tree Farmer of the Year. The property, once a marginal post oak flat in an active oil field, has been in the Prince family since the 1930’s. Prince has since turned his Franklin County tree farm into a working forest with sustainable forestry practices and assistance from the Texas A&M Forest and the NRCS Conservation Stewardship program. He has also made the tree farm available for birding, educational tours and field trips, and he has participated in EAB monitoring. His focus for the tree farm includes wildlife management and habitat for Monarch butterflies. Prince was nominated by Kevin Matthews with Texas A&M Forest Service in Pittsburg, Texas.
Dr. Jay Fish, academic surgeon of Galveston, was also presented with a plaque as a finalist in the Outstanding Tree Farmer of the Year for his LTC Farm in Tyler County. The 234 acre farm was acquired in 1999 and, in 2002, became a certified Tree Farm. In addition to growing pine trees, Fish considers his farm to have several top priorities which include recreation, wildlife, and the restoration of hardwood bottomland.
“It is always a difficult task for the Tree Farm Committee to choose the outstanding Tree Farmer of the Year,” said Hufford. “Yet, each of these three showcase the special partnership between tree farmer and natural resource professionals, something TFA is very proud to be part of as we continue growing partnerships for the next hundred years.”