Pry family promotes conservation with forestry

CRESTLINE, Ohio — As he walks through the forest on his family’s Crawford County tree farm, Jim Pry keeps a watchful eye on his crop.

When he sees a vine trying to make its way up the trunk of a tree, he takes out his hatchet and chops the vine in two. And he makes mental notes of any trees that have fallen, or fallen limbs that may need cleaned before spring.

While most of the county is planted to corn and soybeans, his focus is on trees: red and white oak, black cherry, walnut, maple and whatever kind nature decides to plant.

Jim and wife, Janet, have been growing trees on this property since they bought it in 1976, planting about 40,000 trees to date.

Historic setting

The Pry family has lived and worked in the same community since 1820. Several of the farm buildings used by the Pry family are still standing and well preserved, and adjacent to the tree farm is the cemetery where members of the family have been buried.

But the Pry tree farm is more than a family memorial — it’s a living testament to the values of conservation and land stewardship that Jim and his wife follow.

The Prys maintain about 125 acres of woodlands, and 100 tillable acres, with the goal of preserving the wood, water, wildlife and recreational uses of their land.

Walking through the woodlot, Jim can remember each time his family conducted a major planting, and the times when they planted “only” a few hundred trees, to fill in some open space.

They began planting trees in the late 1970s, following a commercial clear-cut that left the forest floor exposed, and threatened the quality of the water draining into the Sandusky River, which flows through his property.

Converting cropland

Over the years, they’ve planted additional trees and even taken some of their cropland out of production to increase the size of the forest and its conservation potential.

In 2007, Jim was named the Ohio Tree Farmer of the Year by the Ohio Forestry Association. Today, he serves as treasurer on the Ohio Tree Farm Committee.

Jim knows his trees about as well as a livestock farmer knows the different breeds of livestock — pointing out the different textures of bark that define cherry trees and oaks, and the different shapes of leaves, and different kinds of tree nuts that have fallen to the ground.

He also knows that some trees do better in different types of soil, like walnut trees near river bottoms, and oaks and maples on the higher grounds.

“Trees like to grow in different types of soil,” he said. “Some trees grow best in hard clay, some better in loamy soil.”

Jim, 72, still works full time as an attorney in Bucyrus, where he represents landowners and community development projects. But when he needs a getaway — he heads for his woods.

“I’ll tell you what’s great is to come back here at midnight, just after it snowed and there’s a full moon, and just walk through here,” he said.

But even a fall walk is a pleasant experience, and each part of his woods offers something different.

Protecting the river

Beneath the main trail of his property, Jim has installed concrete culverts and made bridges for easy walking. The lowest part of the forest, which drops more than 40 feet, is where his forest adjoins the Sandusky River.

Altogether, Jim has about a mile of forest and growth along the headwaters of the Sandusky River, shallow enough you can walk across with a good pair of boots. But the depth and width increase dramatically as this river progresses north, eventually draining into Lake Erie.

Jim keeps the forest and cover in place next to the river, to help filter pollutants and ag nutrient runoff. He believes the forest helps filter as much as 80 percent of non-point pollutants that would otherwise enter the river, and eventually the lake.

And that’s important, because Lake Erie has been overloaded with ag nutrients in recent years, which have led to the growth of toxic algae, compromising the safety of drinking water and the sport fishing industry.

The Sandusky River was originally named “Sahunduskee” by the Wyandot Indians, according to Jim, which meant “clear water.” And he wants to make sure “clear water” is what’s leaving his farm.

Outside the woods, his cropland mostly consists of forages. He rents the land to another farmer, but requires hay crops to be grown most years. This helps hold the soil in place better than row crops, and provides a perennial crop that grows back on its own each year.

Bill Fisher, who directs the Crawford Park District, said the Pry farm is also a valuable public service because Jim opens it for educational events for other property owners and for children.

“Jim cares deeply about the environment but he goes much deeper than that,” Fisher said.

On Nov. 18, the farm teamed up with the Crawford Soil and Water Conservation District to hold a forestry management workshop. In the past, the farm has been a host site for the Junior Naturalists, and children who want to learn about stream testing and water quality.

“He (Jim) is interested in maintaining a quality Sandusky River corridor that assists in keeping that river in clean condition,” Fisher said.

Harvesting timber

The Prys are not opposed to harvesting trees for lumber — but they want it done right.

“Don’t take it all off at one time,” Jim advises.

But at the same time, he said you want to take enough trees to open up the forest floor for sunlight and regrowth. He said only harvesting the big trees can lead to less diversity in the forest, because less desirable trees will fill their place.

Jim is confident that his adult sons, Matthew and Adam, will keep the family tree farm going long into the future. But even at 72, Jim enjoys having an active part in the operation — whether it’s scouting trees that need harvested, or cutting firewood.

He and his wife also travel, and have been to nearly 80 countries. He enjoys staying active, and preserving something that makes a difference for other people.

“I’d like to continue doing exactly what I’m doing,” he said.