Wallace Wood has been an active member of the McCormick County, SC community for over 38 years. He served as the Executive Director of the Upper Savannah Land Trust for six years and has been on the board of directors several times since the organization began in 2000. In 2011, he was named South Carolina Tree Farmer of the Year.
Wallace walks both Tom and Emily through his farm and provides an American history lesson, as well as a personal lesson, on how the property has developed over the years and what it has meant to his family.
Key Takeaways:
[4:35] How did Wallace get started in tree farming?
[7:10] What did the farm look like when Wallace got his hands on it vs. what does it look like now?
[9:25] Wallace’s father struggled financially early on and many people wanted to buy this land, but he would not budge.
[13:10] Wallace shares a fun story of what he and his family would do on Christmas Eve on the farm.
[16:10] Wallace talks about the Master Tree Farm program and how it’s helped him and his farm grow.
[16:55] What’s it like being nominated Master Tree Farmer of the year?
[19:20] What is a conservation easement and who should consider getting it?
[23:20] One of the largest gold mines was developed here, and this was before the Civil War.
[28:45] Wallace is very proud of his property and the vast diversity of God’s creation. He is passionate about sharing everything he’s learned with others.
[29:10] What advice does Wallace have for landowners?
[32:20] Wallace is so grateful and blessed he doesn’t see any city lights anywhere near his property.
[35:25] We don’t know what the future holds, so it’s important that you have some flexibility with your land use.
[39:30] Wallace’s motto is to leave the land better than when you’ve found it.
[42:20] The biggest hurdle Wallace and his team have found within the Master Tree Farm program is helping other tree farmers go through a tree management plan.
[44:55] Wallace is so passionate about the outdoors because during his childhood he was sick in bed for nine months. After that experience, he never wanted to be stuck indoors ever again.
Mentioned in This Episode:
Walt McPhail, Brother Bill, and Dr. George Kessler (from a previous episode!) join Tom and Emily to discuss Walt’s farm. Walt and his ancestors have managed to keep the property within the family tree for a long, long time. He shares how he always knew he wanted to be a forester, why he’s been “retired” for nearly his entire career, and so much more, in this week’s episode!
Key Takeaways:
[1:35] Before we hear from Walt, we first hear from Brother Bill on what he’s learned from Walt.
[3:45] If you ever get a chance to work with Walt, do it.
[4:45] Walt did the master tree farm course in the early ’90s.
[6:35] Building a legacy is very important to Walt and he made it a priority to take his children along with him to show them what he was doing.
[8:20] Walt’s girls were hesitant to take on the property, they would not sell it, but they had no idea how they were going to manage it when Dad’s gone. Walt came up with a solution.
[11:50] How do you best manage tree poles?
[15:55] How did Walt get into planting tree poles?
[20:35] What’s Walt’s favorite spot on his property?
[24:50] How do you determine what is a pole?
[34:35] Walt talks about his family lineage and how they first came to America.
[38:00] Walt always knew he wanted to be a forester, but he got into veterinary school to fund his forestry habit.
[42:05] What lessons has Walt learned over the years?
[45:00] What’s the best way to manage a tree farm? Brother Bill offers some advice.
[48:50] What are the men most proud of in their career?
Mentioned in This Episode:
Dr. George Kessler is a Certified Tree Farmer and a Registered Forester. Dr. George is a recognized treasure in South Carolina for his extensive work in the tree farm community. He has dedicated his most of his career to extension forestry and has created millions of acres of healthy forests. Find out about Dr. George and his journey into forestry, his impact on the South Carolina community, and so much more!
Key Takeaways:
[4:10] A little bit about Dr. George and his family.
[8:25] Dr. George knew he wanted to be a forester in highschool.
[11:35] How did Dr. George get started in forestry?
[13:00] What is Dr. George most proud of in his career so far?
[18:20] Land owners were eager to take any sort of forestry education they could get their hands on.
[21:45] Dr. George shares how he got children involved and excited about learning more about the environment. It was a slow start at first.
[26:50] Dr. George is involved in a Christmas tree farm. He explains what that means.
[30:00] How did the tree farm program get started in South Carolina?
[33:30] Dr. George has created a beautiful community of tree farmers in South Carolina.
[35:45] How did Dr. George and his committee finance the South Carolina Tree Farm Program?
[37:00] Dr. George and his team are proud to announce that they have about 600,000 acres of actively managed tree farms in the program!
[39:00] What does Dr. George see for the future when it comes to the South Carolina Tree Farm Program?
[42:00] We hear a fun story about Dr. George and how he approaches tree farming. He can be stubborn as a mule!
[44:40] What legacy would Dr. George like to leave behind?
Mentioned in This Episode: