Jim and Schatzi Ball from Missouri

What Makes Them Outstanding?

Passionate is a word that can be used to describe Jim Ball’s attitude and commitment to managing his Tree Farm. What began with the purchase of 80 acres in 1971 has grown to an 850 acre property (nearly 400 acres of which is planted hardwood trees and natural woods). Although Jim is an absentee landowner, he still spends roughly 250 days per year working at the property, completing most of the management work himself, with occasional assistance from others. Jim is meticulous about the care of the nearly 240 acres of planted hardwood species and prunes up to 11,000 trees each year. He has also utilized some of the mature timber on the property in unique ways, including the construction of a 73 foot long covered bridge that spans the main creek on the property, as well as a wine cellar and accompanying furnishings (wineracks, serving table).

Jim is also a proponent of stewardship and the sustainable management (managing for future generations) of natural resources and is more than willing to share his experiences with others. He is an active member of Walnut Council and has hosted members of this group at the property in the past, and a portion of the 2017 Missouri Tree Farm Conference is to be hosted at the property this summer. Jim has also worked in conjunction with NRCS to install test plots inorder to demonstrate the efficacy of various herbicide and cover crop site preparation techniques prior to planting trees.

Tree Farmer Story

The original 80 acres of the property was purchased by Jim and his father in 1971 following Jim's service in the military. At that time the primary objective for the property was to provide a place to hunt. Over the 25 years after the initial purchase, additional acquisitions of adjoining properties were made (currently 850 acres total), while Jim established and fulfilled a career out of state. Also during this period of time, a 20 acre lake designed by Jim (the dam, spillways and other features), was developed on the property.

Over the years, there have been a few changes to the objectives for the property. For several years, Jim has raised cattle (and previously elk and bison) on the native warm season and coolseason grass portions of the property. At the present time, the primary objectives for theproperty focus on improving the 160 acres of natural timber, tending to 240 acres of planted hardwood trees and enjoying a variety of recreational opportunities (hunting, fishing, wildlife viewing, etc.)The first hardwood tree planting was installed on the property in 1991. Since then, additional planting has occurred every year except for two, and has been a family affair for Jim, his wife Schatzi, and their two children (and in recent years, their spouses).

Currently, approximately 160,000 trees have been planted (including replants for mortality, etc.), covering 240 acres of the property. Pruning and light thinning is completed annually within the tree plantings. Last winter, Jim pruned approximately 11,000 trees, and with some help, about 5,000 trees were thinned out. Since retiring in 1995, Jim has been able to spend a considerable amount of time working on the property. He estimates that he spends approximately 250 days per year working on the Tree Farm. Timber stand improvement (TSI) within the natural forested areas of the property began about 15years ago.

Since that time, all of the natural timber (160 acres) has been treated at least once. The property also has a quality black walnut resource. Black walnut management (pruning, thinning, etc.) has been implemented over the years so as to nurture the trees in anticipation of some harvesting as the trees mature. Jim also owns a portable sawmill and has enjoyed utilizing some of the mature timber on the property for various projects.

One such example is a 73 foot long covered bridge that spans the main creek which flows into the lake on the property. The bridge was constructed using black walnut, hackberry and honeylocust wood that was harvested from the property. Jim was involved in all facets of the bridge’s construction from designing, milling the logs, planing, building, and sanding and finishing. Timber harvested from the property was also utilized in the construction of a 1500 sq. ft. wine cellar (cave) and accompanying furnishings (wine racks, serving table), which are located on the property.

Wood

Jim spends a considerable amount of time each year managing (pruning, thinning, etc.) the hardwood tree plantings on the property. As an example, Jim pruned approximately 11,000 trees last winter, and with some help, thinned out about 5,000 trees. Jim has also spent time pruning and utilizing crop tree release to manage a stand of black walnut on the property in anticipation of future harvests. Timber stand improvement has also been applied to all of the other natural forested acres on the property. Over the years Jim has also utilized a portable sawmill to process some of the mature timberfrom the property. This material has been used for several different projects including the construction of a covered bridge and a wine cellar (cave) on the property. Jim’s son also enjoys utilizing wood from the property for various woodworking projects.

Water

A 20 acre lake was developed on the property following the initial purchase. In addition, there are 12 small ponds located on the property which help to slow the flow of water off the land and provide silt basins in order to protect the lake from siltation. Approximately 60 acres of riparian buffers have been established on the property and natural timber buffers have been retained along waterways in order to protect these features against erosion.

Wildlife Including Threatened and Endangered Species

Management of the property focuses on promoting habitat for deer, turkey and quail. Management practices include timber stand improvement, edge feathering, brush piles and food plots. Stands of native warm season grasses are also maintained on portions of the property. The management implemented on both the wooded and open grassland areas of the property provides numerous benefits to wildlife including an improved availability of food (hard and softmast, green browse, etc.), nesting cover and escape cover. One endangered species that could potentially occur on the property is the Indiana bat. In order to prevent any potential negative impacts to this species, all forest management activities areconducted in accordance with NRCS Indiana Bat Habitat Conservation Priorities in Missouri guidelines.

Recreation

The 20 acre lake provides good fishing opportunities on the property. Structures have been placed in the lake to improve habitat availability for fish and other aquatic life. Actions are also taken to control/prevent the development of algae in the lake. Supplemental stocking of minnows in the creeks that feed into the lake has also been used to provide an additional source of food for fish in the lake. In general, the property provides much enjoyment to Jim and his family through hunting (deer, turkey, quail, etc.), wildlife viewing, implementing forest and open land management (TSI, pruning, thinning, etc.) and working with wood materials cut from the property, just to name a few.