Dick
and Charlotte Thompson, a.k.a. Mr. and Mrs.
Tree Farmer, are Wisconsin landowners,
community activists and woodland
educators -- activities that keep them busy today.
These activities sprang from a decision made more than three decades ago. In 1966 Dick put a life-long dream into action.
“We were at a point in our lives where we had a little extra money so I said to Charlotte, ‘Let’s just look for a (tree) farm,’” Dick said. “I’ve always wanted to grow things.”
Nineteen years later, they had accumulated 875 acres on five different farms in four different counties: 40 acres in Clark County, 320 acres split between Buffalo and Trempealeau County, 160 acres near Stevens Point in Portage County, 200 acres next to Osseo in Trempealeau County, and another 155 acres, three miles southwest of Osseo.
The
farms are more than 125 miles apart from one extreme to the other, making
it sometimes difficult to get to everything that needs to be done, especially
since the Thompsons live in Walworth County five months of the year, and
the Florida Keys seven months.
To spend more time at the farms the Thompsons retired early in 1989.
“I was only able to make one trip a year to each of those farms and sometimes I was lucky to do that,” Dick said. “Now after retirement I get to those farms six to eight times during the summer.”
Dick works on timber stand improvements and enjoys being with his family while there.
“Over 37 years I have seen tremendous growth and change,” Dick said. “It takes time to have that come about. But I’m beginning to see that, and it’s very rewarding.”
And the Thompsons’ working goals have evolved over the years.
“Our main goal has always been to raise fiber for pulp and timber, but we enjoy the wildlife, and I’m a great person for conservation,” Dick said.
And Charlotte added: “When we started out it was just, “we’re going to plant these trees and hopefully have some income in our retirement.”
But as they worked on the farms other more intangible values came to the forefront, she said.
“We’ve become far more aware of all the things that can occur on a tree farm other than just growing trees for timber,” Charlotte said.
As
proof of their land stewardship and hard work, the Thompsons were awarded
the 1996 Wisconsin Tree Farmer of the Year.
And they aren’t called Mr. and Mrs. Tree Farmer for just any reason: The Thompsons go to schools in Wisconsin, Illinois and even Florida to educate children about woodland conservation.
“If you can imagine going into a (Florida) classroom,” Charlotte said. “Some of these kids have never been out of the Keys; they have no idea what a tree farm is.”
“We get letters written to Mr. and Mrs. Tree Farmer,” she continued. “It has been a really interesting experience.”
The Thompsons also like to give tours on their land.
“It gives us a change to demonstrate some of the practices we might use in timber stand improvement,” Charlotte said.
“We do a lot of speaking, writing, giving tours, and reaching out to the community in any way we can,” she said.
The Thompsons also believe in having a management plan.
Hear
about the Thompsons’ current goals of natural regeneration with
white pine: Mp3 or Real
Audio.
They make use of an independent forester that meets with them once a
year to discuss upcoming timber harvests and stand improvements for the
year.
Up until four years ago, the Thompson relied on free advice from an industrial
forester in exchange for the company’s first right of refusal on
harvests.
“That was a wonderful relationship for us to have,” Charlotte said.
“(The forester) had really gotten to know our farms and was really a valuable person to me and our operation,” Dick said.
But after the company began moving the forester around, making him less available, Dick decided to go with an independent consultant.
As
the years went by, their management planning has become more complex.
Currently the Thompsons have a harvest every year of about 66 acres.
They have seen the benefits from management planning.
”We have had just fantastic growth of the trees,” Dick said. “We think as a result of good management we have much more wildlife, and of course you are doing a much better job of soil conservation, water conservation, all of that.”
Hear
about what the Thompsons did when they discovered a pocket decline in
red pine on their farm: Mp3 or
Real Audio.
Dick suggests contacting a county DNR forester when first beginning to manage land.
“Try to get him to come and look at the land and give an assessment and some type of recommendation,” Dick said.
“Every person has a different viewpoint on how they want the land treated,” he continued. “But the forester will generally review all the options. Then you can decide what your want to do. My opinion is to just let the land sit there and do nothing is total negligence.”
Being absentee landowners hasn’t stopped the Thompsons from working hard and meeting their management goals.
“I am really amazed at the amount of things Dick can accomplish,” Charlotte said. “You can be absentee and still manage."
But the Thompsons have seen some of the down sides to absentee ownership as well.
“I had more vandalism last year than I’ve ever had in 36 years of tree farming,” Dick said.
Vandals have been leaving trash, breaking down gates and having bonfires.
“That tells me you need another set of eyes on your property,” Dick said. “It doesn’t hurt to have several others looking after things for you.”
The Thompsons are working with area hunters. They give out hunting leases and those hunters help keep an eye on things for them.
“I think we’ve learned that even though we’re absentee owners, when we can make contacts with locals in any way possible, it’s to our benefit,” Charlotte said.
As part of that reasoning, the Thompsons have made contacts with local snowmobile and cross-country skiing clubs, allowing them to use the trails on the property.
”A tree farm can be a source of recreation for the community as long as it’s done with respect to each other,” Charlotte said.
And that sense of community is carried over in the Thompsons’ actions.
“We try to be as active as possible,” Charlotte said. “We
have great pride in our farms.”
The Thompsons would be glad to answer questions and arrange tours when available. You can reach them at 262-248-3206 or at their winter home in Florida at 305-743-5913.