Briarpatch Family Farm, LLC from Tennessee

What Makes Them Outstanding?

“I would like to nominate Mr. John Burch as 2017 Regional Tree Farmer of the Year. As the nomination indicates, the Burch family is engaged in sustainable management of the resources of the farm as well as in educating others about sustainable management. Being directly involved with the management of Briarpatch Family Farm, LLC, I have seen the dedication the family has in sustainable management to ensure that the resources are there for the next generation of the family to enjoy. They are very deserving of the 2017 Regional Tree Farm of the Year award.” Jonathan Boggs, Arbor Springs Forestry, 2012-13 Chair, TFA Tree Farm Committee

“Briarpatch Family Farm has demonstrated their intention to be good stewards by adopting a forest management plan, managing for multiple objectives using appropriate and accepted management practices, and committing to the protection of soil and water resources. This farm meets or exceeds all applicable American Forest Foundation Standards of Sustainability. The farm has been used as a demonstration site during our county forestry association field days,showcasing proper implementation of various silviculture practices and is committed to continued forestry education. Mr. Burch is very active in the Tennessee Forestry Community. Briarpatch Family Farm is a true Tree Farm success story and is deserving of Regional TreeFarm of the Year.” Brian Hughett - Area Forester, Highland Rim District

“As with hundreds of other landowners that I have worked with, Mr. Burch came to me looking for advice on forest management. The difference between the Burch family, however, versus all other landowners, is their level of implementation and true desire to better the natural resources. The family’s steadfast pursuit to improve wildlife habitat and forest productivity is impeccable.” - Stephen Peairs, UT PhD. Candidate and former Area Forester

Tree Farmer Story

Briarpatch Family Farms, LLC has been a paradise and sportsman’s haven since it was purchased in 1964 by Frances and Dr. John Burch. They bought it as a getaway and as a place to hunt quail. At purchase, the land was heavily wooded with a number of vacant fields with early succession growth. A local fox hunting club had an old school bus with a stove and bunks, with kennels underneath located on the side of the county road. They built a small one bedroom house with a swimming pool in the center of the property. The pool proved a magnate for their grandchildren. A 5.5 acre lake was also built, which developed into a good fishery and a family attraction after the hunting season. In 1967, a professional forester was hired to develop a management plan. That same year the first deer was killed. Management was focused on wildlife habitat and consisted in clearing and enlarging some of the vacant fields and establishing food plots and quail cover. The boundaries were also marked with a right of way two dozier blades wide. During this period the place acquired its name, when “Pampy,” as she was called by her grandchildren, started referring to it as Jack’s “Briarpatch” as in the Uncle Remus story about B’er Rabbit saying to B’er Fox “do whatever you want with me, but please don't throw me in the briar patch."

In 1973-4, they gave the property to a trust for their sons Lucius and John Burch, Jr. as trustees, and their children. After they passed, a tract of adjacent land came available, in 1983, and we purchased 315 acres with the provision that the boundary be marked with a right of way two dozier blades wide and access roads smoothed out. This land contained 241 acres of forested land with pockets of good timber. In 1993, another adjacent tract came available and we purchased 304 acres including 15 acres along our eastern boundary to take our property line to the county road and 289 acres that were fenced and contained 121 acres of forested land, the balance in pasture which contained 3 lakes 3 - 3.5 acres each and 4 smaller ponds. This land was leased to a local farmer for grazing cattle, an arrangement that continues. Our lakes and ponds are all fishable and are attractive to a resident flock of Canadian geese.Today the Briarpatch consists of 1,373 acres, 1,020 of which are forested, which contain ~ 3.1 million board feet of hardwood timber. The timber may be properly described as an upland hardwood forest with white oak being the dominant species. For over 50 years, the Briarpatch has been a haven for successive generations of the Burch family. Older members have found quiet and solitude to relax, to hunt or fish and to enjoy their families. Successive generations have learned to hunt and fish, clean and prepare their game or catch, and clean up afterwards. They have learned to swim, to drive on the internal roads and trails, to make and learn from their mistakes, to build a fire and learn to appreciate nature and even occasional courtship.

Wood

In 2012, our forester did an inventory of the Northeast quadrant consisting of 238 acres. He divided the tract into 14 stands and, consistent with our goals of improved wildlife habitat and to improve the value of our timber stands by improving quality, recommended clear cuts on 3 tracts totaling 30.44 acres and shelter wood cuts on 3 tracts totaling 64.5 acres. Once this was agreed on, he prepared a prospectus for a sealed bid sale. We received 3 bids with the winning bid 50% greater than the lowest bid and 25% higher than the next highest bid. The timber was harvested the following year 2013. We also asked our forester to do a full inventory of our timber resources and decided that a 24-acre tract in our most recent land purchase contained mostly dead and dying red oak, the result of oak decline. Due to the low value of this harvest, we negotiated, in 2015, a sale of marked trees on a share basis, all white oak was left standing. With the proceeds, we built a fence to keep cattle from grazing the regeneration. Timber Stand Improvement (TSI) in the form of chemical stem injection on sapling size, less desirable speciesin the understory, on ~30 acres of our best timber in our northwest quadrant was accomplished in 2015, with EQIP assistance. In 2016, we completed a similar TSI on ~ 30 acres adjacent to the TSI done in 2015. Lastly, we are exercising patience to see if the silviculture practices we have employed produce the results forecast so that we may adopt or modify as required. In short, we have a plan and we are going to stick to it.

Water

There are no year-around streams on the property. There are wet weather streams occurring from natural drains or overflow discharge from five impounded lakes and 4 ponds. Streamside Management Zones have been established in all areas where timber has been harvested in accordance with Tennessee Best Management practices. Water bars and diversions or cutouts are in place on internal roads to prevent erosion. Stream crossing points are well graveled. Over the years, we have built two lakes, the rest were acquired with property additions. Recently several lakes have exhibited invasive plants such as water lily and frog bit. These were probably brought in by water fowl. We are in the process of treating the affected ponds and lake with Tsunami DQ.

All of the lakes and ponds contain fish: largemouth bass, blue gill, red ear, crappie and catfish and are fishable. They are an enjoyabl esource of recreation after the hunting season. A highlight of the summer is our annual frog gigging contest. We have periodic beaver infestation which threaten the integrity of our dams as they build dams in our spillways. We have used a trapper in the past, but because of the expense have resolved to learn to do this ourselves. Bald eagles and river otter occasionally visit our larger lakes. Waterfowl including Great Blue Herron, Canadian Geese, Wood Ducks, migrating Teal and occasionally large puddle ducks are seasonal visitors.

Wildlife Including Threatened and Endangered Species

Over the years, wildlife management shifted from quail to deer and turkey. In our management activities, we rely on the advice of an experienced wildlife professional. Today, we maintain a variety of food plots: 17 acres of milo (FFR Milo), 6 acres of Austrian winter peas, summer pastures consisting of 23 acres of orchard grass and white clover and 54 acres of winter pastures of rye and winter wheat, of which 12 acres are a dove field. We rotate the milo and winter peas into orchard grass and clover fields every 3 years. We fertilize and lime as required and use a no till drill on fields sprayed with a mixture of glyphosate and Super Brush. Recent clear cuts and shelter wood cuts have proved very attractive to deer and turkey and provide an abundance of fresh forage and forbs as well as bedding areas and dusting sites. We have also observed quail using these sites. Other species found on the property include coyote, bobcat, raccoon, red fox, stripped skunk, opossum, red and grey squirrels and a variety of birds including turkey and woodcock as well as Bluebirds, mockingbirds, woodpeckers and a variety of raptors. We are trophy deer oriented and have a ruleon bucks that they must be a mature deer, 8 points or better, with a spread outside the ears (~15inches). In the 2014-15 season, there were eight, 8 point bucks or better killed. Fourteen doe were also killed. The largest was a 10 point, 139 class buck. Six wild turkey were taken in the spring of 2015. We are not aware of any endangered species, however, Tennessee Wildlife Resources authenticated game camera sightings of Cougar within 1 and a half miles of our place.

Recreation and Aesthetics Including Special Sites

The members of our family are an outdoor family that enjoy, hunting, fishing, four wheeling around the numerous internal roads and trails. Middle Tennessee is naturally beautiful and the topography of the Briarpatch is similar to that of the West Highland Rim and consists of a broad, mainly east /west ridge system with northern and southern slopes, occasionally flat with slopes ranging from 2% to 40% Forest edges contain numerous Redbud, Crabapple, Dogwood and Locust trees, which produce a succession of colors that contrast with winter wheat fields in the early Spring. These are enhanced by flowering shrubs such as occasional wild Azalea, blackberry and honeysuckle. Because of ample rainfall, summer is a lush green, succeeded in the fall by a brilliant fall foliage. In preforming timber stand improvement in the understory we leave dogwoods. Road and trail edges are bush hogged to permit easy walking and viewing.