Chris Duckworth from Ohio
What Makes Them Outstanding?
The Duckworths have been working with professional Foresters since 1958 to appropriately manage the woodland on the family farm (est. 1808). The family forest conservation story began in 1933, when Chris’s grandfather, Benton Raymond (A.K.A BR) Duckworth, fenced out an area with erosion issues to exclude it from normal croprotation in a riparian area bordering Paint Creek. Numerous Timber Stand Improvement (TSI) projects involving multiple tree plantings (followed by subsequent lower limbpruning procedures), grapevine control, cull tree removal, and significant invasive plantcontrol have been conducted as routine business in the woodlands on the Duckworth Farms throughout the span of four generations (BR, Winston, Chris, Sam)! There have also been three timber harvests executed over the past 37 years, which have allowed for adequate stocking levels of desirable species of good quality!
Tree Farmer Story
Many may ask the following rhetorical questions when pondering the future of the Tree Farm, What will happen to these woods that I have loved so dearly, when I’m no longer able to take care of it? Are my kids, grandkids, and great-grandkids going to know & love the woods like I have? Is there a future for my kids and grandkids with the woods that I leave behind? This rhetoric was left on the front steps of the monument of stewardship, and it was replaced with a tradition of action toward woodland conservation, initiated by BR Duckworth in 1933, that has spanned across four generations of the Duckworth Family tree. BR’s vast forestry stewardship knowledge was forged by various experiments, which he noted in various reports, of trial and error. BR’s self-discipline and commitment to growing a diverse, high-quality woods has allowed his descendants to benefit from great woods, where important decisions are continually made to ensure future generations also benefit from appropriate management and harvesting practices. For over half a century, the Duckworth Family have improved their Tree Farm by conducting practices aimed at controlling erosion, providing habitat for various wildlife, and improved growth of desirable timber products. The integral key in opening the door to the house of good woodland stewardship was involvement. BR included his son, Winston, to be a part of the woodland management decisions on the farm. Winston Howard Duckworth served in the US Army during World War II, then in the United States Air Force. In the fall of 1995, Winston sought theexpertise of a Consulting Forester to mark the timber in a tract of the Duckworth Tree Farm, appropriately called the “Big Woods.”
In March of 1996, the timber harvest (Single-Tree Selection) was conducted. During Winston’s tenure as the manager of the woods, a new problem was discovered; it is a massive problem that continues tocomplicate woodland stewardship paradigm across the entire region of the Eastern United States: INVASIVE PLANTS! The major plant problem involves the species, Bush Honeysuckle (mainly Amur Honeysuckle) that blankets the forest floor, restricting development & growth of trees from seed. Ailanthus, a highly invasive tree, had also become established close to the family cemetery. Efforts had been initiated to control these detrimental invasive plants throughout the Duckworth Tree Farm. Winston then involved his son, Chris, to be a part of stewardship lineage in the woods on the farm. Chris has, and still continues to successfully control these invasive plants. After several years of invasive plant control, a somewhat new problem plaguing the region has become established on the Duckworth Tree Farm a dreaded exotic pest that wreaks havoc on the native Ash population, the Emerald Ash Borer (EAB)! The discovery of this insect has prompted Chris to make a decision to seek the expertise of the same Consulting Forester, Stanley D. Swierz, to mark two tracts, the Big Woods and the Little Woods using the Single-Tree Selection harvest method to remove the Ash before succumbing to mortality from the EAB and other trees to promote future growth of a healthy and vigorous woods containing a diversity of tree species. This timber harvest was conducted in the fall of 2016. Since his tenure as Chief Steward of the Duckworth Tree Farm, Chris involves hisson, Sam, in the management of the woods. Sam is continually gaining knowledge of the woods from Chris, and he shares this knowledge with his friends that he invites to the Duckworth Tree Farm. In passing the torch of sound stewardship of the Duckworth Tree Farm to his descendants, BR made a statement in one of his multiple reports, befitting to us all, whichread, “When I finally abandon my shovel, planter bar, and grub hoe, I will have the satisfaction of knowing this project will be in good hands.”
Wood
Since 1958, the Duckworth Tree Farm has sought the advice of Professional Foresters to appropriately manage the woodland that has been used by four generations of the Duckworth Family. Multiple management plans have been written by Foresters and enacted by various Duckworth family members that span across multiple generations. When considering a timber harvest, the Duckworths have hired a Consulting Forester (Stanley D. Swierz) to mark the timber and administer the harvest. Invasive plants are continually being controlled to optimize 
development and growth of the desirable nativetrees. Tree growth is closely monitored to observe potential future yield projections.
Water
The Duckworth Tree Farm borders Paint Creek, a major river in the area that flows into the Scioto River then into the Ohio River. Since 1933, the riparian area of the farm has been extremely protected from livestock, soil erosion, and sedimentation by fencing and subsequent tree plantings to help stabilize soil conditions and filter water.
Wildlife Including Threatened and Endangered Species
The woods at the Duckworth Tree Farm have been managed not only to grow a valuable timber product, but to also provide food, cover, and habitat for a multitude of wildlife species. Currently, a few local hunters enjoy the bounty this woodland supports! Great care and consideration for a variety of both terrestrial and aquatic wildlife species are enacted upon management decisions for the Duckworth Tree Farm.
Recreation and Aethetics Including Special Sites
There is an extensive mule trail that borders Paint Creek, and this trail goes though the Duckworth Tree Farm. The trail is used and maintained by a nearby resident who takesgreat care to leave minimal impact. There are few a local Fayette County residents that have permission to hunt the woods at the Duckworth Tree Farm. Chris’s son, Sam, visits the farm and occasionally rides his ATV on some trails throughout the woods.
Major emphasis is placed by the Duckworth Family on maintaining the natural beauty of the woods. Extensive thought is placed upon every decision to support maintaining & flourishing the development and growth of a wide variety of both woody & herbaceous plant species. Strict attention to the visual appearance of the woods can be read in the following excerpt of one of BR Duckworth’s numerous reports; Here I am inclined to express some satisfaction with the marked improvement in these woodlands. With the exception of the island, this entire wooded area has been worked over, and many sections of it have been transformed from tangled growths of worthless vines, trees, and shrubs into stands of valuable growing trees ranging from saplings to trees ready for harvest.
