G. Gibson Family of Texas
What makes them outstanding?
“To celebrate family heritage using thoughtful multigenerational collaboration to make decisions on forest management that support conservation, stewardship, and economic growth and stability”, is the written mission statement for these Tree Farmers.
The Mustang Prairie Tree Farm in Trinity County, Texas is family owned and operated by The G. Gibson Family Limited Partnership, 2015 Outstanding Tree Farmer of the Year finalists, with three third generation sisters as General Partners, Margaret Rominger, Jane Baxter and Mary Bullis. The 11 fourth generation children are Limited Partners and children in the fifth generation also enjoy Tree Farm activities. The family practices sustainable forestry on their 1280 acre multi use Tree Farm certified by the American Tree Farm System following a comprehensive forest management plan addressing timber, recreation, water, wildlife, and family legacy. They have promoted regeneration with burning and regular thinning. The family works hands on The Prairie to achieve a well managed forest with healthy trees, improved habitat for wildlife, reduced risk of wildfire, recreational opportunities, and to produce forest products. The family continually seeks current information on best forestry practices and works closely with state and federal agencies on conservation and stewardship programs. They are leaders in their local County Forest Landowners Association to raise awareness about the Tree Farm program as well as providing educational tools to other landowners. The Tree Farmers themselves continually seek information and learning to better their Tree Farm. And, each family member loves this land and has spent much time since childhood in the family woods. For them, good stewardship of their resources has been entrusted to them through their family legacy.
Tree Farmer Story
Our Tree Farm, known as The Mustang Prairie Tree Farm, has been in the Gibson family since 1902. Our grandfather, J.B. Gibson, originally bought the property when the great forest of long leaf pines grew on these acres. He was county surveyor and timber buyer for the Thompson Brothers sawmill in Trinity. A tram road was laid in the woods to bring out the beautiful logs. Our father, G. G. Hoot Gibson, second generation, took over the note held by his father with the Land Bank in 1931. He and his wife, Mary Beard Gibson, eventually paid off the mortgage. The Prairie has been under written forest management since the mid 1960’s when Hoot and Mary returned to Trinity from overseas agricultural assignments. The G. Gibson Company was formed in 1981 and The G. Gibson Family Limited Partnership was formed in 2008. Our parents knew the importance of including their children in property ownership to learn skills of forest management as well as to prepare for smooth transition of the estate to their children. These same principles of developing forest management knowledge in the next generation as well as assuring a smooth transition in ownership are business principles followed by our Family Limited Partnership.
Our great bachelor Uncle Ezra
lived here in his wood frame cabin from the 1930’s through the 1990’s. The Camphouse built in 1938 continues to be
a family gathering spot where the emphasis is on rest and relaxation. Jessie
Gibson, J.B. Gibson’s wife, dictated that all worries be left at the door of
the Camphouse. The three Gibson daughters came as children on frequent visits
with their parents to this farm, and later started bringing their own families
to the farm. Hoot and Mary built their
home at The Prairie after returning from overseas agricultural assignments and
this home is still our headquarters.
Having the privilege of exploring the woods with Hoot and Mary were
unforgettable experiences for all. We
could go anywhere as he drove his Leland tractor and we rode in the People
Mover passenger box lifted in the air behind the tractor. We saw first hand the
importance of taking care of our property to help nature grow the trees and enjoy
the peace of the forest. We also learned
that Tree Farmers need to be continually out in the woods to monitor forest
health and any impending risks from disease or weather. Several family
Christmas visits were dedicated to planting loblolly and long leaf pine
seedlings. Frequent trips from all over
the US have brought family for holidays and summer visits. Each of the 11
grandchildren made a solo visit to see their Grandparents at The Prairie at age
10.
We have received excellent guidance from our Consulting Forester, Bob Harper, about forest management, inventory, and timber marketing and sales. Family meetings in recent years have included forestry management lessons in the woods led by Bob Harper. Other workshops have highlighted Prairie Survival of being able to operate the Tree Farm infrastructure and development of the family mission statement. On the ground practice with tools including increment borer and cruising prism and assessing basal area has been meaningful. All property boundaries and roads have been recorded with GPS. Partners Jeff Gotschewski and Mike Bullis have created mapping displays and boundaries laying in the GPS data. Partner Susan Gotschewski established a numbering system for gates along Trinlady Park road that is helpful. Regular conference calls promote planning and discussion of next steps. Younger partners have embraced technology and have transferred outdoor survival lessons to smart phones and GPS technology. Technology and its use is the critical tool that will make managing our Mustang Prairie Tree Farm accessible from the diverse home addresses of our Partners. Joint access to such sites as Google Earth, MyLandPlan.org, and txforestservice.tamu.edu and texasforestinfo.tamu.edu facilitate our collaboration.
The Texas Forestry Association named the G. Gibson Family Limited Partnership as the 2014 Texas Outstanding Tree Farmer of the Year for the excellent management of their Tree Farm in Trinity County. The announcement was made at the TFA Annual Meeting on October 9, 2013 in Montgomery. The family members shared our story and passion for our Tree Farm at the 2014 TFA meeting in Lufkin. The family has been especially touched at the significance of being the TFA Tree Farmer of the Year during the TFA 100th Anniversary celebration. To signify the family value of promoting good stewardship and conservation of resources, we set up an annual donation for scholarships for five years to the Teachers Conservation Institute sponsored by TFA for teachers to learn and experience conservation stewardship and take lessons back to the classrooms.
Hoot and Mary believed in the sanctity of the land and the family’s stewardship. They entrusted and charged each of us to continue their good work.
Wood
The family philosophy on harvesting timber has been to thin the forest to promote growth, leave the best trees for the next harvest, and aim for a 70 basal area per acre result of harvesting timber. We rotate thinning around The Prairie and plan a thinning every three years. The importance of keeping certification and managing the forest in an environmentally sound manner is a priority. Maintaining our ATFS certification is important so our wood is recognized as grown under an active management plan. Our Consulting Forester, Bob Harper, took an inventory of all growing timber in 2010 to measure the growing forest and to enable the family to continue to have an accurate assessment of timber considering the 5% growth factor and periodic thinning. Pine Trees left after thinning provide seed for the next forest growth.
Loblolly pine seedlings planted in the 1980's along the east property line along White Rock Creek are being managed for sustainable forestry. We have been evaluating their form class and are looking at a replant of about 100 acres to improve the next generation. Native black walnut trees has been harvested to make furniture for family use and a new generation of black walnut trees were planted in their favored site several years ago so there would be an ongoing supply of wood. Hardwood is grown in natural sites also in creek bottoms; however the harvesting of hardwoods has been intentionally limited to provide hardwoods for wildlife habitat.
Water
Texas Best Management Practices issued by the Texas A&M Forest Service are followed in maintaining roads, firebreaks and harvesting timber. Each member of the Partnership has a copy of the booklet illustrating non-regulatory BMP’s. The techniques are discussed at family meetings to understand that the only practicable approach for maintaining low levels of nonpoint source pollution from forestry activities is through the use of preventive Best Management Practices (BMP’s). Much of the Tree Farm has highly erodible sandy soil which requires ongoing precautions against erosion and washing. Water bars are installed on roads and fire lanes that would become rain runways. Creeks form the boundary on the north, east and south of the property.
The area on the East Side which has a clay hardpan and does not promote growth of timber was the area originally known as The Mustang Prairie. Mesquite trees have been abundant on that part of The Prairie which were believed left by pioneers traveling through with stock animals.
The Prairie water for family use is from a groundwater well that has been used for many years. Our well service company has performed water quality testing on the water to insure it is safe for human consumption. Water quality receives continual attention. The topic of state groundwater policies continues as a study by the Trinity County Forest Landowners Association. Speakers from adjacent Groundwater Conservation Districts have discussed the rules and policies set down by the State Water Board that they follow and the protections of private landowners to use their groundwater
Wildlife
Improving Wildlife Habitat is a high responsibility of the family. We work with the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department (TPWD) in the Level 3 Wildlife management program. Our Mustang Prairie Hunt Club follows the annual Wildlife Plan update issued by our TPWD Biologist Micah Poteet with harvest quotas for antlerless and buck deer. Wildlife management practices on The Prairie over the past year included Supplemental Feeding/Food Plots; No Grazing/ Rotational Grazing; Timber Thinning on 200 acres; Prescribed Burning on 185 acres; Sound population control (deer) according to TPWD deer harvest assignment; Control of Feral Hogs; and Supplemental Shelter / Wood duck boxes. Regular prescribed burns are performed to promote wildlife habitat and food sources. The Prairie Grass Restoration Program with U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to improve wildlife habitat requires regular burning of the old Prairie grass to release the native grasses that were planted.
Mustang Prairie entered into a Memorandum of Understanding with TPWD to support restoration of wild turkeys in Trinity Count and agreed to prohibit spring turkey hunting for seven years. Approximately 80 wild turkeys (20 males and 60 females) will be stocked on an adjacent area.
Family Limited Partners Jo and Travis Green are Liaisons with the Hunt Club and wildlife management practices. Hunt Club members have been part of Mustang Prairie Hunt Club for many years and share the pleasure of being in the woods. The Mustang Prairie Tree Farm received the Pineywoods Lone Star Land Steward Award in 2008 by TPWD in recognition of outstanding efforts at the coordination and enhancement of wildlife habitat in Texas. A video made for the selection process documents the family concern for improving wildlife habitat. The Mustang Prairie Tree farm is enrolled in the Safe Harbor program for the red-cockaded woodpecker in 2005.
Recreation
The Prairie has always been a place of special family gatherings. Our family finds the atmosphere an inviting haven and provides a welcome change from busy daily schedules. Taking care of the trees and the property is a welcome responsibility. Regular visits to the natural beauty of the family forest are a priority during family visits. The diversity provided by mixed pine and hardwood forests adds to the beauty. The G. Gibson Family Limited Partnership meetings occur periodically with workshops in the woods led by Forestry Consultant Bob Harper and business management of the Tree Farm led by the General Partners, the three Gibson daughters. Partnership committees include research and recommendations for a range of Tree Farm functions including financial management, forest management, wildlife, and infrastructure upkeep.
The Gibson Family also enjoys a larger family focus on tree farming in the S.E. Barnes Timber Co., whose members are a large set of cousins descended from S. E. Barnes of Trinity who accepted land as payment at his general store. In his will he left the land to the family with instructions to maintain a unified family management. The Barnes family group meets each April for the annual Barnes Family meeting with multi-generations associating and making decisions. The Barnes Family shares the legacy of placing a high value on maintaining a healthy forest.
