Roy Thigpen Sr of Mississippi
What makes them outstanding?
Mr. Roy Thigpen, Sr. has carried on the tradition of his father, Chester Thigpen, of being an outstanding Tree Farmer. Chester Thigpen was the National Tree Farmer of the Year in 1995, and the first minority landowner to win the national award. Roy has not set on his Father’s laurels. He is a very active Tree Farmer. This past October of 2014 The Roy Thigpen, Sr. Tree Farm was recognized as the 2015 Mississippi Tree Farmer of the Year at the Mississippi Forestry Association annual meeting.
The Roy Thigpen, Sr. Tree Farm is a working Tree Farm producing forest products and financial income to his family. The Tree Farm is managed for multiple use concept of natural resource management. Roy is retired, but tree farming is his full time job. Roy Senior is very interested in passing on his Tree Farm to his son Roy Junior, and Roy III (Trey) so they can carry on the family tradition. Paul Trianosky, former Director of the American Forest Foundation’s Southern Forest Foundation described the Thigpen Tree Farm as one of the most well-managed and well kept loblolly pine stands I’ve seen.
Tree Farmer Story
To relate and write a story about the Roy Thipgen, Sr. Tree Farm, you must start with Roy’s Father, Chester Thigpen. When Chester was a seven year old boy plowing his uncle’s cotton field with a mule for 35 cents a day, he dreamed of someday owning his own portion of the Mississippi land he loved so dearly. That dream came true in the year 1940. That was the year that Roy’s Mother and Father purchased 85 acres from an Uncle for $10.00 dollars an acre, and later in 1946 another 37 acres were inherited from the family. In 1983 Chester Thigpen was inducted into the Mississippi Agriculture and Forestry Museum Hall of Fame. Chester Thigpen was a visionary and his real passion was Tree Farming. In 1960 he took the necessary steps to enroll his land into the Tree Farm System. All of his hard work came into fruition when he was awarded and recognized as the 1995 National Tree Farmer of the Year.
Roy, Sr. and his brother
Lonnie can both remember being just little kids, and just big enough to carry
an ax, and Dad first starting talking about planting trees on this place. Now they both like fooling with trees too.
Like Father like son, I guess. The connection to the land is lifelong legacy
for the four generations of Thigpens. Roy, Sr. even had an exact duplicate of
the Chester and Rosette Thigpen, 1995 National Tree Farmer of the Year sign
re-made as a legacy and their connection to the Tree Farm and to future
generations.
The goal and vision of the Thigpen Tree Farm remains the same today as the day that the property became Roy’s: Continue what his Dad Started, Keep the Tree Farm up as a multiple use concept of natural resource management, and leave it in better shape than he found it. Roy has retired, but Tree Farming is his full time job. Julia Thigpen, Roy’s wife, has never seen anybody work so hard as Roy on the Tree Farm and he puts his heart and soul into the farm.
Roy Thigpen, Sr. is a very active Tree Farmer. He completes lots of the work on the Tree Farm himself. He maintains all access roads, woods roads, fire lanes, fire breaks, bush hogging for access and wildlife. He also carries out annual silvicultural burns on the Tree Farm for timber stand improvement and wildlife objectives. Roy attends a multitude of forestry meetings. He is an active member of the Mississippi Forestry Association as well as the local Jasper County Forestry Association. Roy enjoys attending informational meetings about forestry and forestry practices. But he loves coming back to the Tree Farm and implementing practices and new concepts on the ground.
Through the years, a multitude of forestry field days, and agricultural events have been held on the Thigpen Tree Farm. Besides working with his family on promotion of the tree farm, Roy likes to promote forestry to others thru forestry field days.
The Thigpen Tree Farm is the greatest example of involving the next generation of the family and growing the Tree Farm legacy. Both Roy Junior and Roy III (Trey) are thankful they are involved in the month to month operation of the tree farm. They play a vital role in fire break, and access road maintenance, and assisting with various projects. Prescribe burning is a favorite of the family because according to Trey it is fun to play with fire and achieve good results for access, timber stand improvement, and wildlife. Trey Thigpen sums up and describe Roy, Sr. the best. It is great to see my Grandfather do the things he loves, working on the Tree Farm. He is my role model, sets a great example for me and our family, and I hope to follow in his footsteps one day.
The Roy Thigpen, Sr. Tree Farm is a great example of how Land and Timber can be a significant asset to a family. Those that know Roy Thigpen, Sr. and his family are well aware that the Legacy of the Thigpen Tree Farm of Mississippi is in very good hands with Roy, Senior.
Wood
The Thigpen Tree Farm is a "working" Tree Farm, producing various Certified wood products from the forest stands. In 2012, a 45 acre Regeneration harvest was conducted producing pine Saw timber, Poles, pine Chip-n-saw, and pulp wood. After harvesting, the stand was Site Prepped using herbicides, site prep burned, and regenerated with containerized Loblolly Pine seedlings.
At the time of our recent visit, October 2014, a 140 acre improvement cut was being completed. This was the second thin in this stand. Products produced were pine pulp, and pine chip-n-saw. Also there was a 10 acre regeneration harvest conducted in a hardwood area. This cut produced low grade hardwood saw timber and hardwood pulpwood.
Mr. Thigpen uses a variety of Timber Stand Improvement practices to enhance grown of his pine stands as well as reduce competition with undesired and invasive species. Annual silvicultural burns are conducted by the Tree Farmer and his family. He utilizes the Mississippi Forestry Commission to install fire breaks using voluntary Best Management Practices. Occasionally on large burns, Mr. Thigpen contracts silvicultural burning with the state forestry agency. Another Timber Stand Improvement practice that is utilized is over 50 acres of cull hardwood removal with chain saws followed by stump herbicide treatment. All invasive species are controlled using the proper recommended rate of herbicides.
Water
The Thigpen Tree Farm implements Mississippi’s Silvicultural Best Management Practices on all forest management activities. The Best Management Practices are included in all contract work, logging-harvesting activities, and day to day activities carried out by Mr. Roy. The Thigpen Tree Farm is located in the Jackson Prairie geographic soil region of Mississippi. This Prairie is identified by heavy clay content of the soil and small high alkaline areas that are located at random. Some of the alkaline areas are caused by soil erosion that occurred in the past. Soil erosion, soil moisture content, and the pH of the soil considerations are a major factor in all forest management activities completed. Mr. Roy goes the extra mile in water quality control when planning implementation of best management practices activities. Among those are road construction, forest access roads, forest trails, fire break, and fire lane location and construction. Timing and weather conditions are critical when working with these type soils. During the recent timber harvesting operations, Mr. Roy himself installed culverts on woods roads and trails to keep soil disturbances to a minimum. Installation of these culverts also kept ponding of water to a minimum to maintain a dry road base.
Wildlife including threatened and endangered species
The Thigpen Tree Farm is well managed for timber production and a direct benefit of the timber management program is an abundance of wildlife, both game and non-game specie. Timber management practices that are carried out that also benefit wildlife populations are, well timed timber harvests, silviculture burning, timber stand improvement, and establishment of seasonal food plots. The Tree Farm has two preferred game specie that are present and proper management practices are implemented for Whitetail Deer, and Wild Turkey. Populations of both species are outstanding. Mr. Thigpen avoids spring burns that conflict with Wild Turkey nesting season. A small open area is maintained near the home sites for many purposes, but one of the reasons is wildlife viewing. The Thigpen’s allow hunting on the Tree Farm. One area is leased to a local hunter, while other areas are maintained for family and friends.
There are several small ponds located on the Tree Farm. These are maintained as an area for wildlife benefits and also family fishing. Mrs. Thigpen noted that on many occasions she enjoys fishing on a regular basis, and enjoys preparing fish for her immediate family’s dinner table.
Recreation and Aesthetics including special sites
Mr. Roy and his family enjoy working on the Tree Farm as a family activity. Three generations of the Thigpen family is involved in every aspect of forest management among those are road and firebreak maintenance, Timber Stand Improvement, silvicultural burning, and reconnaissance of the farm for insect, disease, and presence of invasive species. Mrs. Thigpen enjoys fishing in the small farm ponds located on the Tree Farm and taking her catch and having a fish fry for her family. Also around the home sites is an area that is open and maintained as a wildlife viewing area. This wildlife viewing area is also maintained as a driving range for Mr. Roy’s golf hobby.
The Thigpen Tree Farm is located in the Jackson Prairie geographic soil region of Mississippi. This Prairie is identified by heavy clay content of the soil and small high alkaline areas that are located at random. These alkaline soil outcroppings are managed for wildlife openings as well as prairie flower viewing areas. A variety of prairie flowers naturally occur in these areas with a regular soil disturbance practice. Mr. Roy alternates between regular scheduled prescribe burns or some type of disking.
None of the Thigpen Family participates in any hunting activity, but they enjoy the fact that some of their friends and neighbors enjoy utilizing the wildlife as a food source and an outdoor activity.
