Alford Forest
At
3,267 acres, Alford Forest is ORLT’s largest land holding and serves to
protect important forests, wildlife habitat, and stream corridors in
Ozark County, Missouri. The
crystal clear Bryant Creek, among the Ozarks’ most pristine streams,
flows through Alford Forest and is one of a few waters to still contain
the critically imperiled Ozark hellbender.
The Missouri Department of Conservation has noted that Ozark
County has the most black bear sightings of any county in the state.
The land
constituting Alford Forest was purchased in 1945 by John Alford, who
wanted a place where his children could go as a refuge from city life.
His daughter, Miriam Ella Alford, came to own the forest in the
1970s and consulted with local and regional conservationists for the
next twenty years about how to care for the forest and to ensure its
long-term protection.
From 1998 to
2005, Ella donated the entirety of Alford Forest to ORLT and also
donated conservation easements on more than 1,000 acres of neighboring
lands. Ella passed away in
December 2005, not long after completing these gifts that are a lasting
conservation legacy.
Today, Alford
Forest is managed by a separate non-profit organization called Alford
Forest, Inc., that is directed by David Haenke.
David pursues ecologically sustainable forestry methods that seek
to improve the forest over time by removing trees of poor quality or
that are too thickly stocked.
Over time, these practices will result in a healthier forest and
higher quality wood products.