Bob & Pacie Trimble - East central Illinois
East central Illinois is home to the Illinois OutstandingTree Farmers of 2007: Bob and Pacie Trimble. The Tree Farm program is nation wide in scope, boasting well over 36,000 landowner members. Each year a search is conducted among Illinois? 1,100 Tree Farmers to recognize the landowners who have done an exemplary job of carrying out forestry practices and being the voice of good forestry.
In 2007, Bob and Pacie were recognized for their efforts in managing their forest land and for promoting responsible forest stewardship. Bob is a retired teacher, while Pacie continues to operate a day care business from their home in Monticello. They have two sons, Thad & Chad, and a daughter Tanna. Their children and ten grandchildren are often found on the Tree Farm working and enjoying the many benefits provided by their Tree Farm. The Trimbles have owned this property since the 1960?s.
Their farm started with 40 acres and over the years has grown to 81 acres. While the acreage is small in comparison to some other Tree Farms, what it lacks in size is more than compensated for with quality. The entire 81 acres has been intensively managed and is a hidden treasure in an area surrounded by corn and beans. Some of the management practices that have been carried out include forest stand improvement in the native woodland, tree planting on marginal agriculture fields using both direct seeding and bare root seedlings, as well as follow up thinning and pruning on the older plantings. The most recent addition to the farm is a two-acre prairie installed in 2003, adding to the property’s habitat diversity.
Bob is past president of the Illinois Walnut Council and he continues to support good forestry practices through that organization as well. Over the years, the Trimbles have hosted numerous field days and workshops to promote and demonstrate forestry and other natural resource conservation practices. Bob and Pacie?s devotion to their Tree Farm and the pride with which they share the
results with others have earned them the much deserved title of Illinois Outstanding Tree Farmer of the Year. If anyone would like to know what it takes to become a Tree Farmer, just ask Bob to tell you about his place. He will give you a great big smile, and 30 minutes later you will know just what being a Tree Farmer is all about.
