Skip navigation

North Central OTFY: Clifton Taylor of Kentucky

Share

North Central OTFY: Clifton Taylor of Kentucky

What makes them outstanding?

Clifton Taylor’s approach to forest stewardship uniquely qualifies him as the nation’s outstanding Tree Farmer of the year.  His life-long appreciation of forests and the many values they provide are evident when touring his tree farm.  In 1959 Clifton & Barbara Taylor purchased their first forested tract in Casey County, Kentucky.  The Wilson Tract contains 287 acres and became the starting point for the Taylors’ mission  of establishing new forests, tending young timber stands, and harvesting sustainable forest products from mature trees.  Today, the Taylors own 1,076 acres of certified hardwood forestland near the community of Forkland.  Three generations of Taylors actively manage the forest,  sharing their forestry knowledge with others and energetically participating in forestry outreach.  Clifton was one of the first private landowners in Kentucky to obtain forest management certification from both American Tree Farm & Forest Stewardship Council.  As a result, his tree farm was selected to supply white oak logs to an international buyer to produce the first ever PEFC certified whiskey barrels made in the US.  The Taylor’s tree farm contains the best examples of the Oak Shelterwood Method for establishing oak advanced reproduction in Kentucky and has hosted professional foresters, woodland owners and bourbon industry representatives on oak silviculture tours.  Clifton is recognized as a knowledgeable forestry practitioner and generous contributor to the forestry community; however, Clifton’s greatest accomplishment is the success he has achieved in instilling the forest stewardship principle in subsequent generations and neighboring forest owners.

Tree Farmer Story 

Clifton and Barbara Taylor obtained their original America Tree Farm certification in 1972.  They have utilized technical forest management assistance from the Kentucky Division of Forestry and the University of Kentucky’s Department of Forestry faculty and extension staff.  Additional technical and financial assistance has been acquired from the Casey County Soil Conservation District and USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service. Since 2003, the Taylor’s have contracted the services of local consulting forester,  Chris Will and Central Kentucky Forest Management.

Clifton Taylor was born in 1930 on Elk Cave Branch just down the road from his tree farm.  Barbara Ellis was born near Gravel Switch and grew up in the Forkland Community.  Clifton married Barbara Ellis in 1956.  Clifton’s mother was from the Royalty family and the Taylor & Royalty families have lived, worked and farmed the land on Elk Cave and Minors Branch since the late 1800s.  Barbara Ellis Taylor’s ancestors, the Whitehouse and Ellis families, have lived in the Forkland area since the late 1700s.  This rich family history of living and working in and around the forest drew Clifton & Barbara to forestland ownership.  While nearly all 1,117 acres of Taylor Family holdings are forested today, small homesteads and farms were scattered throughout the area from the mid-1800s through the 1950s.

Clifton & Barbara always valued education and teaching.  Clifton attended the one-room Elk Cave School and graduated from Forkland High School.  He received a B.S. and M.S. degree from the University of Kentucky and a Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin.  Barbara attended and graduated from Forkland High School.  She received a B.S. degree from the University of Kentucky and M.S. and Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin.  Clifton and Barbara both worked as cooperative extension agents for the University of Kentucky and extension faculty  at the University of Florida.  Both spent their lives developing and delivering educational programs for families, forest landowners and agricultural producers.  Barbara passed away in December of 2012.

Clifton and Barbara have two sons, Scott and Steve.  Scott and his wife Marie are retired and live down the road from the tree farm.  They have two children, Josh and Amie.  Scott is a Kentucky Master Logger and he and Marie have completed the Kentucky Master Woodland Steward program.  They are also members of the Kentucky Woodland Owners Association and Scott has followed in his father's footsteps by serving on the Board of the Kentucky Woodland Owners Association.  Steve and his wife Martha live in Auburn, Alabama.  They have two children, Travis and Shelby.  Steve and Martha have also completed the Kentucky Master Woodland Steward program and are members of the Kentucky Woodland Owners Association.  Steve and Martha are also forest landowners in Alabama and their woodlands in Lee County, Alabama are certified in the American Tree Farm system.

The ownership of the forest has spanned 5 generations and has been a focal point for the Taylor family for nearly 60 years.  The “Hollow Tree Inn”, an open-air shelter house constructed on the Wilson Tract in 2010, serves as a meeting place for family events, field tours and forestry education and outreach.  Some of the groups and organizations to utilize the shelter house and surrounding forestland include the Ellis & Taylor Family Reunions, Irish Distillers Ltd., The White Oak Initiative, Kentucky Distillers Association, Society of American Foresters, Kentucky Woodland Owners Association, Center College’s Environmental Studies Class and the Kentucky Tree Farm Committee.  Developing and delivering forest management programs and feeding hundreds of visitors to tree farm continues to be the Taylor family mission.

Since entering the American Tree Farm System in 1972 the family has maintained its relationship with Tree Farm and has recently benefited from its American Tree Farm forest management certification.  By working with their different forest community partners, the Taylors were able to implement oak regeneration practices that resulted in international attention.   Using research in the oak shelterwood method refined by University of Kentucky, the Taylors successfully implemented mid-story control of shade-tolerant tree species using herbicides .  Once the proper herbicide and application method was determined, they were able to implement the practice through Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS), Environment Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) funding.  The results of the work are impressive with 3 foot to 8-foot-tall oak seedlings present under the canopy of mature oak and hickory forests.  The Irish Distillers Ltd. a manufacturer of whiskey in Ireland became interested after touring the Taylor’s farm on an American fact-finding mission.  Fast forward to the Fall of 2019 and the first PEFC chain-of-custody certified whiskey barrels produced from Taylor grown white oak roll of Kelvin Cooperage’s assembly line in Louisville, Kentucky and are sent to Ireland to be used in finishing select Irish whiskey products.

In addition to their successful timber production activities the Taylors take seriously their stewardship responsibilities for clean water, wildlife habitat and the aesthetic values of the forest.  Extensive road restoration projects have occurred on the forest that improve forest utilization, but also improve water quality for wildlife habitat and clean drinking water.  They also work with their local private lands biologist from the Kentucky Department of Fish & Wildlife Resources to improve and diversify habitat on the property.  This includes early successional habitat creation on old field sites by establishing native grasses and setting back succession by utilizing prescribed fire and mowing practices.  The creation of picnic and camping sites with dramatic views of the surrounding landscape have been constructed and several picturesque waterfalls are enjoyed by family and visitors to the farm.  Clifton’s consistent approach to forest stewardship and the hard work he has invested is now paying dividends in the form of wood, water, wildlife and recreation; the forest values provided as a result of good forest management.

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

The Taylors hosted the Fall 2016 Society of American Foresters (SAF) meeting including members of the Kentucky Woodland Owners Association, Brown-Forman (distiller) and representatives of the cooperage industry.  Centre College’s environmental studies class has toured the tree farm to learn about forest management practices and the value of wood as a renewable resources. 

International consulting forester Paddy Purser visited the Taylor’s Tree Farm in 2016 as part of a fact-finding mission to assess the potential for sourcing American white oak from sustainably managed forests. This visit lead to the “American Oak Project” which will re-barrel select stocks of Irish whiskey into American oak barrels produced from white oak grown on the Taylors farm.  Currently Clifton Taylor is the exclusive supplier of white oak to Irish Distillers Ltd. in the production of certified American white oak barrels.

Clifton enjoys sharing his forest management expertise and experiences with his neighbors, forest industry and other woodland owners.  One example of the Taylor family’s generosity and commitment to forestry education is the endowment established in 2005 by Clifton and Barbara to provide scholarship money for University of Kentucky forestry students.

Clifton’s 150 acre “Oak Shelterwood Method” demonstration area has been a great educational tool for woodland owners, foresters and the distilling and cooperage industry.  This site has motivated several large landowners to pursue practices to establish advanced oak regeneration prior to timber harvesting.  Clifton was one of the first private landowners in Kentucky to pursue Tree Farm certification in an Independently Managed Group (IMG) through the Center for Forest and Wood Certification. 

Touring guests also include the Kentucky Distillers Association, Steering Committee for the White Oak Initiative and Kentucky Tree Farm Committee.  As the 2017 Kentucky Outstanding Tree Farmer a recognition field day was held drawing many local woodland owners to the event.

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

Wood: 

Tree planting & timber harvesting projects:  

  • 1959 ““ 1970: Loblolly and white pine planting occurred on the Wilson and Girtley Tracts.
  • 1963: Black locust was planted on the Girtley Tract.
  • 1964: Timber harvest on Wilson tract             
  • 1971: Walnut planted Wilson tract.
  • 2005:  Walnut planted on the Will-Ed tract
  • 2008: Salvage harvesting of 40,000 bd. ft. sold as logs or milled into lumber at local mills.         
  • 2012: Walnut planted on Wilson tract.                                        
  • 2014 Ash harvest in response to Emerald Ash borer outbreak.
  • 2014: 5 acres sassafras harvest.  Logs were milled and lumber has been sold to craft wood workers.
  • 2016: Wheeled skidder and track loader were purchased to allow for ongoing salvage logging.
  • 2017: 4,000 bd ft of white oak was harvested for an international buyer interested in certified wood for barrel staves.
  • 2019:  5,000 bd ft of white oak, 1,500 bd ft of hickory and 1,500 bd ft of sugar maple was sold to the same international buyer.
  • Clifton Taylor’s tree farm has become a demonstration site for woodland managers to view various timber stand improvement practices.  His tree farm is well-known for the work done establish advanced oak reproduction prior to harvesting.  Details of his timber stand improvement (TSI) work is listed below:   
  • 1978 to 1980: Removing unmarketable trees on 93 acres.
  • 2010: mid-story control and cull-tree removal on 41 acres, included girdling trees and applying roundup.
  • 2012 -2013: Mid-story control  on 100 acres on Wilson tract.  Injection using Garlon.
  • 2014: Mid-story control on 50 arces on Wilson tract. Injection using Arsenal.
  • 2017 2018:  Removal of invasive species, cull-trees, and where appropriate midstory control.
  • An additional 114 acres of mid-story control is scheduled for a three-year project starting in 2020 on the Will-Ed tract.

 

Water:  Some roads and trails were legacies from previous generations and landowners.  The Taylors currently maintaining 17 miles of roads and trails. Beginning in 2007 new haul roads and primary skid trails were constructed incorporating engineering techniques to reduce the impact on water resources. The use of geotextile underlayment with gravel, water turnouts and broad-based dips have reduced sediment movement into drainages, creeks and streams.  In 2016 equipment was purchased to improve maintenance on roads and trails.  The equipment includes a bulldozer with 6-way blade and a track-loader.  Improved road access lowers management expenses and improves forest health monitoring.  Road renovation projects have been completed on newly acquired properties where poor logging road layout and construction practices were used. Plans for additional road remediation projects have been scheduled with the assistance of the Casey County Conservation District.  All harvesting on the property is conducted by Kentucky Master Loggers that adhere to timber harvesting best management practices. These practices protect water quality by limiting harvesting activity within streamside management zones and dictate that all skid roads are properly retired and water quality is protected.

Wildlife including threatened and endangered species: A mixture of native grasses has been established on old field sites throughout the tree farm.  A ten acre field on the Wilson tract was converted to native grasses in 2007.  Periodic prescribed fire and strip mowing are used to maintain these plots for ground nesting birds.  Maintaining some forest and field edge habitat benefits large and small mammals, birds and some amphibians. Some hunting activity occurs on the forest and the local private lands biologist from the Kentucky department of Fish and Wildlife Service is consulted for habitat improvement projects.

Recreation and Aesthetics including special sites: The forests have been used since 1959 for family recreation.  Two campsites were developed in the early 1990s and used by Scott’s and Steve’s families as well as extended Taylor family.  A shelter house, the “Hollow Tree Inn” was constructed in 2010-2011 by Clifton and Barbara and serves as the centerpiece of family events today.  The shelter house has also been extensively used for field days and educational events on the tree farm.  Also, a primitive picnic area was constructed in 2017 on a ridge top on the Will-Ed tract with an impressive view of the surrounding forested landscape.

Both the shelter house and picnic area are used extensively by the Taylor and Ellis families as well as numerous other guests of the family.  Two nice waterfalls are present and add an aesthetic feature to the tree farm.   In addition, local friends and neighbors use the forest for hiking, hunting and social gatherings. 

Describe other forestry programs or organizations in which the Tree Farmer participates

Numerous family events are held for extended Taylor and Ellis families with educational walks and trail rides.          

In 2005, Clifton and Barbara funded an endowment in the University of Kentucky Department of Forestry and Natural Resources to provide support for their senior capstone course.

UK forestry students have conducted senior capstone projects on various Taylor tracts.

Adjacent landowners have been influenced and are now working with Chris Will for consulting services and for oak regeneration treatments.     

Clifton and Barbara hosted the local chapter of the Society of American Foresters in 2010.  

Another SAF meeting was hosted in 2016 with Kentucky Woodland Owner Association members, distillery and cooperage industry participants.   

In 2012, the Taylor family forest land was among the first privately-owned land in Kentucky to be FSC certified.  As a result of Tree Farm certification, they have now conducted timber harvests and sales to international customers interested in PEFC certified white oak.

In 2019 the Taylor tree farm hosted both the National White Oak Initiative Steering Committee and the Kentucky Distillers Association on field days to educate both groups on the importance of managing white oak for stave production to ensure sustainability for the bourbon industry.

Clifton Taylor has been a long-time, active member of the Kentucky Woodland Owners Association and the Walnut Council.  Clifton was also 2016 K-T SAF Baggenstoss Award winner for a non-forester that has shown a life-time commitment to forest management.