Western Finalist: Jim Thares of Wyoming

What makes them outstanding?

Jim's passion for the natural resources and resource management is what makes him outstanding.  He is a major proponent of active forest management.  The knowledge he has gained is actively applied to his property and he is always seeking additional input and expertise from natural resource professionals on how to better manage the ranch.  This has led to forest management work that has improved not only his forested acres but also range and water.

Tree Farmer Story 

Jim and his family purchased the ranch in 2013 and literally hit the ground running.  Jim wants this ranch to stay in the family and be a place where they can all gather, spend time together and enjoy the property.  Because of this as soon as Jim purchased the property he began contacting natural resource professionals to get technical assistance on things that he saw needed doing as well as get ideas of other needs.  This led to a shift from hands off management of the forest to a very active approach.

Due to past management the condition of the ranch left much to do.  As a result Jim has invested a lot of time and resources to improving many aspects of the property.  Wildlife habitat improvement is a primary goal for the ranch and Jim knows that forest management directly impacts the quality of habitat.  Due to this Jim has been actively carrying out pre-commercial thinning, woody draw treatments, fuel reduction and meadow retention.  These projects have all been overseen by a forester to ensure that project specifications are met.  Looking into the future he wants to continue these activities as well as include commercial thinning.  These practices improve the quality of the timber resources, forage and also make stands more resilient to wildfire.

Wildfire is something that Jim knows about firsthand, as 1,500 acres of the ranch burnt in 2012 and since his purchase there have been two other wildfires on the property.  Jim has, and is, active in conducting post-fire rehabilitation in these areas to reduce erosion, fuels and weed issues.

In addition to the forest stand improvements that have been made, another major focus of work done is on range improvements.  The activities have included weed control on several thousand acres and water development.  These activities have greatly improved the wildlife habitat and the results are already being seen with increased wildlife use.

In all activities on the ranch, whether it be management, planning or recreation, Jim includes his family.  To Jim this is important not only for the enjoyment they get now but also to ensure that they see the work that goes into the property and the beauty that it has.  To Jim he feels this will help to maintain the desire to keep the ranch in the family long after he is gone.  In this way, Cambria Canyon Ranch will maintain a legacy and be an example of what proper management can do.

Describe any outreach on behalf of sustainable forestry that the Tree Farmer has done 

In the relatively short time that Jim has owned the property he has become a voice for sustainable forest management.  Not only is this done in one on one situations but also on a larger platform.  In 2017 the Black Hills Landowner Tree Farm Field Day was hosted at Cambria Canyon Ranch where Jim presented on why he does active management.  In addition to this we were able to tour the property to look at past and future forest management projects, road design, range management and water development.  This gave an excellent platform for forest management to be presented and discussed with those present.  Not only did Jim present on management projects but also the ranch manager, Wyoming State Forestry Division and Wyoming Game and Fish.

Jim has also been a major supporter of the Wyoming Tree Farm Science Fair Awards that promote projects on forestry and wood utilization with local high school students.  Education, research and further learning is something that Jim wants to encourage in youth and this program directly does that.

Jim is also active in Board of Regents in the midwestern states that are strong in natural resources, thus is impacting our youth with natural resource education programs that he influences in his positions in these functions.

For the following areas describe how the landowner's management addresses it 

Wood: Through the management that is being carried out timber quality and growth is being improved, a small timber sale was complete in the last year to start the shelterwood management cycle on his property.  Although it will be many years before some stands can be harvested Jim knows that action is needed now to insure future health and quality.  In addition, much of the forestry in the near future will focus on stands that need a commercial thin and will provide a wood product.  This will be in the form of sawtimber and posts.  Use of "waste material", primarily slash, is also of great interest to reduce costs of management activities.  This is another reason Jim has been a supporter of the Tree Farm Science Fair Program to encourage forestry and wood product utilization.

Water: The active management carried out in response to the wildfire in 2012 has resulted in reduced soil movement, thus helping to minimize the reduction in water quality following the intense wildire.  The woody draw treatments carried out in a major canyon on the ranch have the goal of improving water quantity by removing conifers in strategic locations.  In addition to these forestry activities there have been two wells drilled on the ranch that now supply water to multiple tanks and a large pond that was built.  Stock dams that had silted in have since been reclaimed to once again hold water, a limiting factor for livestock and wildlife in the area.

Wildlife including threatened and endangered species: Wildlife management and habitat improvement is the primary goal of this ranch and much of the work done focuses in this is some way.  The wildlife use of the property prior to Jim’s purchase was marginal but with the many management activities done there is increased use by pronghorn, mule deer, whitetail deer, Merriam’s turkey, sharp-tail grouse and elk.  Previously many of these species were rarely, or even never, seen on the ranch.  These increases have provided increased opportunity for wildlife watching and hunting on the ranch and show that the time and money spent is paying off in a big way.

At this time there are no threatened or endangered species on the ranch.  This property has potential to be used by northern long-eared bat, though none have been documented and at this time there are no obligations to private landowners concerning this species.  If regulated on private land, Jim would follow all regulations and guidelines.

Recreation and Aesthetics including special sites: The aesthetics of this ranch are undeniably beautiful.  The location and variation in topography and habitat makes it highly diverse.  The forest, range and water development activities have added to this beauty.  Specific to forestry, anytime a management activity is conducted the location and viewshed is always taken into account to maintain aesthetics to those on the ranch. 

With wildlife habitat improvement being a primary objective for the ranch much of the recreation centers on watching and hunting wildlife that occur on the ranch.  Currently this centers on family but over time Jim wants to extend this to friends and veterans.  Other recreation activities on the ranch include hiking, ATV riding and looking at the rich history around the historic Cambria mining camp which is located on a portion of the property.