The Alford Forest is managed under a lease agreement with the Ozark Land Trust by Alford Forest, Inc. David Haenke is the founder and director of Alford Forest, Inc.

David Haenke lives in the Alford Forest, in northern Ozark County, Missouri, and has been managing the Alford Forest, initially as an employee of Ella Alford, since 1994, and since AFI was incorporated in 2000.

Not a degreed forester, he has learned forest management on the ground, and specifically from the instruction of Clint Trammel, former chief forester of Pioneer Forest, as well as from his own continuous study of ecological forestry, which goes back to the mid-1980s.

Alford Forest Inc., Forest Management Guidelines

General Forest Management Plan Provisions.

1) Conserve and protect open and natural forest of the Oak-Hickory-Pine type, and its native forest species and character, which may have some natural glades and savannas.

2) Conserve and protect the highest quality of the forest ecosystem including its native fauna and flora, and, where such forest types are present, old growth and riparian forests.

3) Conserve and protect significant water resources and the water quality thereof, including any springs and wetlands.

4) Where long-term management involving harvest is desired, maintain and improve the capacity to produce high quality native timber in an uneven-aged forest through long-term, sustained yield forest management.

5) Prohibit any use of the forest which will impair, degrade or damage the forest or conservation values of the forest.

Desired Conditions.

1) A natural mixture of dominant tree species including Oak, Hickory and Pine with various associated species including Gum, Ash, Walnut, Elm, along with other naturally occurring native tree species;

2) A multi-story forest with a canopy of variable densities managed to allow for gaps occurring due to natural disturbances, mortality and timber harvesting except such areas specifically designated as wetlands, savanna or glades which are managed as open land;

3) Uneven-ages stands, i.e. a range of age classes in any given stand of trees with the overall median age of the forest increasing.

4) Protect identified healthy old growth trees and stands throughout the forest including areas specifically designated at this time or in the future as wetlands, savanna or glades;

5) Sufficient volumes of standing dead trees, down logs and large woody debris on the forest floor as is commonly found in natural Pine-Oak-Hickory type forests;

6) Preserve various ecosystem types with their biological diversity;

7) The forest is retained and maintained in its defining character and functions;

8) Any identified and located endangered species are to be protected;

9) Seek highest and best use of harvested trees and other species of the forest;

10) Attempt to find markets for less utilized species and grades of logs or lumber;

11) Attempt to add as much value as possible to logs and other forest products before they leave the area.

Improvement Harvest Method.

Through single-tree and small group selection, appropriate to site and species composition of the forest, harvest only trees which are diseased, of poor form, of lowest value, dying, or overcrowded; conversely, trees that are healthy, well-formed, of high value, and well-spaced are retained. The purpose is to improve both the health and the value of sustained yield forestland.

Management Practices.

1) Maintain a Continuous Forest Inventory/CFI, conducted at 5 year intervals on 1/5 acre plots, with at least one plot for each 40 acres. CFI collects data on each tree 5” dbh or greater, including species, dbh, height, vigor, mortality, potential product type (e.g.: sawlog, cordwood, post, etc.), percentage of defect, whether a particular tree should be cut or left, product volumes, etc.

2) Integrity of riparian areas including significant intermittent Streamside Management Zones/SMZ’s maintained and/or restored when necessary and possible; maintaining buffer strips no less than 100 ft along either side of the stream or ten feet along either side of a drainage water flow.

3) Maintain habitat for wildlife, including providing for mast, plant and habitat diversity and including snags and den trees retained at no less than 3 per acre.

4) Trees marked prior to logging.

5) Cutting, handling, storage and transportation of timber done so as to minimize damage, degradation and waste in logs, residual stand, ground and vegetation.

6) Remediation of harvest impacts including but not limited to preventing the onset of erosion from skidding, road travel or leaving the ground bare.

7) Loggers trained in best management practices, safety and awareness of the forest ecology.

8) Regulated public access for hunting.

9) Implementation of fire prevention and firebreak measures.

10) Timber Stand Improvement (TSI) done as much as possible, and when affordable.

11) Temporary roads and skidding trails constructed with minimum size and frequency necessary for harvest and with as minimal impact as possible. No trails made to accommodate the skidding of logs shall be allowed to remain as a permanent means of access by motor vehicles, and these trails shall be retired as necessary by active or passive means as soon as the logging activity ceases.

12) Reforestation only when necessary, i.e., tree planting using native species planted in open areas originally in forest or to restore extirpated species;

13) Whenever possible hire local workers, contractors and processors.

Prohibited Practices.

1) High-grading;

2) Whole forest species conversion;

3) Elimination or attempt to eliminate any indigenous tree (or other) species, either at the level of the whole forest, or at any specific site or stand;

4) Action or policy which will lessen natural biological diversity;

5) Even-aged management in Streamside Management Zones;

6) Harvesting the forest in any location that will directly or indirectly affect the current population viability of an endangered or threatened species;

7) No use of toxic or banned chemicals in vegetative management or control of other problem insect, animal and other species, or disease and infestation agents.

Restricted Practices.

1) Clear-cuts and other even-aged management (EAM) strategies will not be used, except as a last resort in stands afflicted with disease, insect infestation and other severe and pervasive mortality or degradation. In any situation where a complete clear-cut must be done - i.e., all stems cut - the maximum size of a given clear-cut will be no greater than 2 acres. In any situation where other EAM treatments - such as shelterwood cuts - are necessitated, each area so treated can be from 2 to no greater than 20 acres, but not to exceed 70% of crown cover removal. Over a 20 year cutting cycle, no more than 5% of the timber base may be harvested using EAM. No EAM can be used in Streamside Management Zones.

2) Use of chemicals in vegetative management or control of other problem insect, animal and other species, or disease and infestation agents, should be a last resort when all other options for dealing with a critical problem have failed; and the use of chemicals should be minimal, allowing only the least toxic agents possible, causing the least possible damage to the environment with consideration given to the cost/benefits in that respect.

Salvage Cuts.

In situations where serious and widespread damage has been done to the forest as a result of fire, wind, insect damage, disease or other disasters through human or natural cause, salvage harvesting may be conducted. Salvage harvest operations, including the use of even-age techniques, on a larger scale than allowed in these provisions, and any other necessary deviation from these provisions must be specifically approved in writing by the landowner before such harvest measures are implemented.