Associated Press
The Kansas City Star
SALEM, Mo. -When St. Louis businessman Leo Drey first viewed the parcel of
Ozark woodland that put him on track to become the largest private landowner
in Missouri, he saw scraggly young trees and gravelly streams.
Now, more than 50 years later, Pioneer Forest stands tall, and its streams
are crystal clear.
Drey, 87, and his wife, Kay, have donated 146,000 acres of the forest to a
private foundation that aims to maintain Drey's philosophy of sustainable
forestry.
That philosophy is what nourished the forest's hickory, pine, and oak trees
- as well as Drey's profits.
"He had this vision, at a time when the Ozark forests were pretty well
depleted, that you could protect the land and the streams and at the same
time manage timber economically," said John Karel, president of the LAD
Foundation, which is named for Drey's initials. "It's not only a model for
this state, but nationally and beyond."
Drey bought the first 1,400 acres in 1951. He acquired more over the years,
in 1954 buying a 90,000-acre tract from National Distillers. The company was
already doing the type of forestry later espoused by Drey.
Rather than clear-cutting all the trees in an area at once, Drey's managers
select individual trees. Those that remain grow stronger, and the forest
retains its character.
A parcel near Salem doesn't look like it was logged last fall - and that's
the point. Wildflowers thrive on the forest floor, nurtured by the light
filtering though the tree leaves. Small branches left behind by the loggers
will decompose and yield nutrients for the next generation of plants,
animals, and insects.
"You notice how it's been thinned, like a garden," said chief forester Terry
Cunningham. "You come in each 20 years and open up the canopy. That way you
maintain your forest structure."
And that, forest manager Clint Trammel said, makes more money in the long
run. Single-tree or uneven-aged harvesting means owners can earn money from
the trees every 20 years, rather than having the 80-year wait associated
with clear-cutting.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and American Forest Products
Industries are two national groups to honor Drey's work. The Forest
Stewardship Council, which recognizes "environmentally friendly" wood
products, has also certified the forest.
Drey's Ozark forest holdings now comprise about 160,000 acres - most of
which was donated to the LAD Foundation last month. Karel, also the director
of Tower Grove Park in St. Louis, said about 16,000 remaining acres that was
held up by title-transfer complications will be donated later. The land
covers parts of Shannon, Texas, Dent, Reynolds, Ripley and Carter counties.
The land will be open to the public for hiking, hunting, and foraging.
Visitors can walk on the Ozark Trail, wander through the Roger Pryor Pioneer
Backcountry wilderness area to collect fruits and nuts, or drive to a virgin
grove of 200-year-old short-leaf pines.
Drey, the son of a wealthy glass manufacturer, still considers himself a
"city boy." But it was the wooded country in the Ozarks that won his
affection as he floated down the same streams enjoyed by thousands of
visitors today.
Drey remains the chairman of the LAD Foundation. Karel said that the
foundation will continue to study and preserve the land after he's gone.
"I just hope it's an inspiration to Missourians that they've got someone
like Leo, who cares so much about the forests and the land of this state,"
Karel said. "All of us on the board feel a tremendous amount of
responsibility to live up to the legacy that he's handing over. We're going
to do our best."
Drey said he never intended to get any public recognition when he began
buying the land.
"I'm doing what I wanted to do," he said, "and if the consequences for the
public are good, so much the better."
