I enjoyed my first visit to Lakepoint State Park the afternoon of October 12, 2022 through departure early on the 15th. I focus this Post on special hardwood forest features I encountered along my several hikes.

I’ve grown to increasingly appreciate the intense competition among dominant and co-dominant trees for full sunlight in the canopy high above. Only the canopy top receives the full rich dose of direct sunlight. With each step downward through intermediate canopy, understory, and eventually the forest floor, light quality, intensity, and value diminish. Importantly, the main canopy occupants do not share the full sunlight via overlapping branches. Instead, each tree commands its unique space. Note how the individual tree crowns in this vertical canopy view do not touch. Some have termed this natural phenomenon crown shyness. For those willing to observe the forest’s multiple dimensions, Nature reveals many of her secrets hidden in plain sight.

I’ve written often of the intense competition within our forest ecosystems. Trees compete fiercely for space, water, nutrients, and light. Some romanticize with tales of the forest as a place of harmony, peace, love, and tranquility. Where trees care for each other. Some anthropomorphize trees. I don’t buy it.

Tree Form Oddities and Curiosities

Always on the lookout for tree form oddities and curiosities, I found this bowed white oak. Some physical force (wind or an impact from a falling tree or top) bent this individual as a sapling, resulting in a permanent misshaped form. Above the camera line of sight, the tree regained its vertical imperative, now reaching along with its neighbors into the upper canopy.

This trailside post oak exhibited a tendency to grow thick bark around lower trunk branches that it shed as the live crown extended vertically. The buttressed stubs give the tree a distinct character.

Alabama is home to more native oak species than any of our states. I’ve been saying the we have 39 species; I saw today on the internet that we have “at least 40 oak species.” Perhaps I will round my count to “about 40.” Whether 39, 40, or higher, I will not attempt to distinguish exhaustively among them. Suffice it to say that, with iNaturalist’s assistance, the stub-branched oak (thanks to the leaf I plucked) is a post oak.

I believe this moss-draped oak is Quercus alba (white oak). The delicately-mossed, fist-sized burl caught my eye. So much of interest lies hidden in plain sight. Few people pay enough attention to see such curiosities.

A multi-story wildlife hotel stands within the forest. Because eventually the forces of Nature will prevail, we’ll call this temporary quarters for the birds, mammals, and other critters who seek refuge across the seasons. I wondered what I might see if I sat comfortably within sight, binoculars in hand, patiently viewing the comings and goings. Perhaps such a vigil may lie in my future.

Although there is nothing special about the papery, flaking bark of this particular river birch, I remain a long time fan of our local river birch and the incredible paper birch of my years in the far north.

Spanish Moss and Other Attractions

What could be more emblematic of the deep South than Spanish moss draped from the lower branches of lakeshore oaks! The sun’s rays cutting diagonally through the canopy amplify the effect.

Interestingly, Spanish moss is a vascular plant: Spanish moss (Tillandsia usneoides) is neither Spanish, nor a moss. A relative of the pineapple (Ananas comosus), this less-colorful member of the Bromeliaceae family is often blamed for strangling or sucking the life out of its host tree. The bum rap is undeserved. Spanish moss asks for nothing more than a place to hang out. Like other “air plants” in its classification, it’s a rootless epiphyte that survives on rainfall, dust and random detritus in the atmosphere. (SFGATE website)

A Eufaula National Wildlife Refuge inlet view from where the oak stands likewise paints a vivid image of Lakepoint State Park.

Interpretive signs along the shore also tell the tale of the boundary separating Park from Refuge. I once again find inspiration in the forest at its union with the placid lake and backwaters.

Even a sign-eating-oak adds mystery, intrigue, and wonder to the day.

Alligators are not the only critters we encountered. We saw birds aplenty within the forest. An American toad posed for us in a drainage area leading toward the Refuge. Where the lake backed into the lowland, a cooter did its best to catch some late season afternoon sun.

Forest-Associated Plant Community

Tasha identified Chinese tallow, an invasive described online in a University of Florida bulletin:

Chinese tallow was once a popular landscape tree in the Southeast, and it can still be found in some Florida yards.

The leaves are heart-shaped and turn vibrant red in the fall. The fruit, which also appear in autumn, turn brown at maturity to reveal three dull white seeds which resemble popcorn, giving Chinese tallow another common name, “popcorn tree.”

Like so many other invasives, Chinese tallow seeds attract birds, who consume the fruits and disseminate the seeds spreading the unwanted exotics far beyond their welcome.

I was surprised to see sparkle berry (AKA farkle berry), the only tree form blueberry (genus Vaccinium). This species seemed as vibrant in southeastern Alabama as it does near the Tennessee line, where I reside. I’m partial to its attractive bark and tough stems.

During the seven years I practiced forestry in southeastern Virginia, wax myrtle grew aggressively throughout the coastal plain forestland that I managed.  Seeing this ubiquitous understory shrub from my Virginia days was strangely akin to encountering a long lost friend. The Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks offered this brief insight into wax myrtle: The leaves have a spicy fragrance and are still used today for candle scents. Berries were once boiled and used as wax for candles. The wax myrtle provides excellent cover and food for birds and other wildlife. The VEC finds numerous mockingbird and wren nests in the branches of this shrub. The wax myrtles are highly flammable and flames spread quickly. 

Prior to earning my forestry bachelor’s degree in upstate New York and doing summer field forestry work only in Maryland’s Appalachians, I was not familiar with wax myrtle, nor even with loblolly pine. Both were exotic to my own experience! Life changes us in so many ways. Here I am now, 43 years since those halcyon early career years in southeastern Virginia, viewing wax myrtle as a long lost friend.

We found several specimens of peppervine in the riparian hardwood forest. The Missouri Department of Conservation: Peppervine is a rather slender, upright vine, either high-climbing or bushy, with tendrils present or absent. Its leaves are double-compound. Peppervine, a member of the grape family, is sometimes confused with poison ivy and poison oak. However, those plants have compound leaves in threes and are not double-compound.

Beautyberry (left) and Jack-in-the-pulpit fruit provided some vibrant fall color. Both are native to Alabama. Beauty berry grows in partial shade to full sun. Jack-in-the-pulpit grows best in deep shade under a full forest canopy, performing most of its life functions prior to forest leaf-out, a chilly period when the forest floor basks in full spring sunlight. Birds disperse the seeds of both the woody beautyberry shrub and the herbaceous perennial Jack’.

We also identified camphorweed (Pluchea camphorata), or marsh-fleabane, a small flowering herbaceous annual plant, still in full flower. At this latitude, the deep cold of winter never arrives. Instead, summer wanes gradually into an extended fall…that by early February embraces spring. I challenge anyone to take me into the wild of Alabama at 31.89 degrees North when I cannot spot at least a single native plant in flower. As I type these words (December 14, 2022), the official snow depth where we lived in Fairbanks, Alaska is 16 inches.

Plant life across our fluid Alabama seasons appears kaleidoscopic, a shifting mosaic of colors, shades, and forms. Each seasonal entry into our forests presents different gifts for visual, tactile, audial, and aromatic senses. Any effort or expense to travel to natural places is returned manifoldly in enlightenment, inspiration, and fulfillment, just from the luxuriant vascular plant life alone.

Lichens, Ferns, and Fungi

However, I do not limit my explorations to vascular plants. Bearded and crustose lichens adorn these dead oak twigs on the riparian hardwood forest floor.

Maiden fern and sensitive fern exploited the leaf-littered, rich soils of the riparian forest.

As does this Japanese climbing fern, described by an online Alabama Cooperative Extension System bulletin:

A perennial twining vine, Japanese climbing fern can grow to 90 feet, climbing into and over trees and shrubs or trailing along the ground, creating dense mats (figure 1). Stems (technically a rachis) are thin and wiry but difficult to break; they range from green to tan or reddish to almost black. Japanese climbing fern is a noxious weed that can cause ecological and economic damage. Knowing its characteristics and effective removal methods can prevent the spread of this invasive species. Introduced as an ornamental in the early 1900s, Japanese climbing fern (Lygodium japonicum) escaped cultivation and has become invasive in many habitats across the southern two-thirds of Alabama. The Alabama Department of Agriculture and Industries considers it a Class B noxious weed. As such, the introduction of Japanese climbing fern into or within Alabama is prohibited.

A favorite of mine across Alabama, resurrection fern, green and turgid with the prior night’s rain, clings happily to a riparian forest tree’s trunk.

Had I visited a week later, the frontal passage heavy rains would have triggered a profusion of mushrooms. Instead, we found little activity, limited to the fibrous Stereum (left) and the colorful jelly spot (right). Both are saprophytes feasting on dead woody material.

Clustered on subsurface decaying woody debris (roots), these honey mushrooms splashed their yellow tops in two somewhat adjacent spots. The one on the left is perhaps a day older than the still-opening cluster on the right. Honeys are edible…and delicious!

Nature’s beauty, magic, wonder, awe, and inspiration derive from close examination of the routine…the mundane features of the forest. Some hikers, many of whom are intent on walking through the woods, solely to get from point A to point B, would have found the routes I hiked at Lakepoint to be too short, too gentle, and rather uninspiring. In contrast, I walk in the forest, intent on finding and pondering what lies hidden in plain sight!

Alabama State Parks Foundation

Thoughts and Reflections

I offer these observations:

• For those willing to observe the forest’s multiple dimensions, Nature reveals many of her secrets hidden in plain sight.
• Trees compete fiercely for space, water, nutrients, and light.
• Plant life across our fluid Alabama seasons appears kaleidoscopic, a shifting mosaic of colors, shades, and forms.

Inhale and absorb Nature’s elixir. May Nature Inspire, Inform, and Reward you!

If only more of us viewed our precious environment through the filters I employ. If only my mission and vision could be multiplied untold orders of magnitude:

Steve’s Three Books

I wrote my books Nature Based Leadership (2016), Nature-Inspired Learning and Leading (2017), and Weaned Seals and Snowy Summits: Stories of Passion for Place and Everyday Nature (2019; co-authored with Dr. Jennifer Wilhoit) to encourage all citizens to recognize and appreciate that every lesson for living, learning, serving, and leading is either written indelibly in or is powerfully inspired by Nature.

I began writing books and Posts for several reasons:

• I love hiking and exploring in Nature
• I see images I want to (and do) capture with my trusty iPhone camera
• I enjoy explaining those images — an educator at heart
• I don’t play golf!
• I actually do love writing — it’s the hobby I never needed when my career consumed me
• Judy suggested my writing is in large measure my legacy to our two kids, our five grand kids, and all the unborn generations beyond
• And finally, perhaps my books and Blogs could reach beyond family and touch a few other lives… sow some seeds for the future

All three of my books (Nature Based Leadership; Nature-Inspired Learning and Leading; Weaned Seals and Snowy Summits) present compilations of personal experiences expressing my (and co-author Dr. Wilhoit for Weaned Seals and Snowy Summits) deep passion for Nature. All three books offer observations and reflections on my relationship to the natural world… and the broader implications for society. Order any and all from your local indie bookstore, or find them on IndieBound or other online sources such as Amazon and LifeRich.

The afternoon of October 15, 2022 and the following morning I visited the Solon Dixon Forestry Education Center with old friends Rhett Johnson, retired Center Director, and Emmett Thompson, Dean Emeritus, Auburn University College of Forestry, Wildlife, and Environment. Emmett’s son-in-lay Ken Pylant accompanied us. See my recent post highlighting the science and practice of managing longleaf pine at the Center: https://stevejonesgbh.com/2022/12/20/managing-longleaf-pine-at-auburn-universitys-solon-dixon-forestry-center/

I feel a special thrill in the power and beauty of places that I hold dear, especially when enriched by fond memories. In fact, co-author Jennifer Wilhoit and I write of such sentiments in our book, Weaned Seals and Snowy Summits: Stories of Passion for Place and Everyday Nature. The Solon Dixon Center is one of those special places.

Spectacular Blue Spring

I focus this second Solon Dixon Post on special natural features we encountered on the Center. We hiked to Blue Spring, a special place that I elevated to spectacular! What lifted it to such a celestial level? I’ve always been a soft touch for isolated, dense woodland cover. Second, Blue Spring transported me several hundreds miles north into the Great Smokies. The comfortable deep shade, the sound of rushing water, and even the mix of tree species, in part, obliterated the truth that I stood just 30 miles or so north of the Gulf of Mexico. I admit to retaining an echo of northern forest ecosystem bias…a vestige of having spent my very early, formative forestry years much further north. After all, my subconscious reasoning concluded,  “How could such a delightful place be in subtropical Alabama!?”

I’m self-medicating to jettison that unholy bias by repeated ventures into the forested wilds of Alabama…from Cheaha to Mobile! I ensure you that it’s working — I have become a shameless champion for Alabama’s magnificent forests and wildlands. However, I suppose that northern ecosystem bias is ever-present — resembling the ghost of alcoholism that haunts a former drunk (Am I allowed to phrase it in such a harsh manner?).

Blue Spring gushes some 13,000 gallons per minute of sparkling, pristine water, appearing from the rocks above this derelict foot bridge. The photo below could pass for white sand. Instead, the crystal water is flowing vigorously and transparently across the sandy stream bottom.

The vertical pilings at the left-side streambank hold bank erosion in check. Staff installed the measure to combat the destabilizing impacts of pedestrian wear along the stream to cross the now closed bridge. The sign below offers explanation.

The same spot from above better depicts the volume of water, in this perspective appearing milky owing to the sandy bottom. The view below right shows the spring emerging just upstream of the bridge.

The stream drops once more into the limestone basement rock perhaps just 150 feet below the bridge. The spring’s fleeting surface passage adds an element of deep mystery and fantasy to the special nature of Blue Spring. I wonder how many forestry, wildlife, and environment students carry memories of the Center’s magic, spell-binding Blue Spring. This image hints at the Blue Spring moniker.

Rhett stands mid-way on the stairs ascending from the spring, perhaps reflecting on the countless young professional lives he touched during his 27 years as Solon Dixon Director. At right, he and Emmitt depart, leading the way to the interesting karst topography and forest awaiting our examination just a quarter of a mile downhill toward the Conecuh River. I lagged behind to capture another photo or two, then caught up to my colleagues.

I recorded this 3:11 video at Blue Spring.

In keeping with my belief that a brief video tells a tale more powerfully than a few still photographs, I will endeavor to include at least one short video in all future Posts.

Nearby Karst Topography and Forest

Limestone underlays this section of the Center, the spring itself providing direct evidence of the karst topography. From the online Worldatlas.com:

Karst topography refers to a type of subterranean limestone caverns landscape, as well the mysterious-looking formations like caves, surface sinkholes, and rocky, overhanging cliffs, as a result of a specific natural occurrence.

We saw a few small sinks (not visible in this image) as we strolled toward the river.

Shortly thereafter we entered an area with mysterious-looking formations like caves, surface sinkholes, and rocky, overhanging cliffs. The hole at left dropped 30 feet to the opening at right, rimmed in front by a limestone cliff.

Two additional views of the distinct karst topography depict the sheltered opening and the forest assuring deep shade, hiding the rough landscape from aerial view. Although I could not capture the Conecuh River visible 50 feet below from the nearby high point, I imagined Native Americans fishing along the river, seeking overnight shelter in these overhangs and caves. I often observe that every place in Nature has a story to tell. Some speculate that Native Americans may have lived in these deep-South forests for 13,000 years. If so, how many traveling hunting/foraging parties may have sought refuge here over those 4.745 million nights?

We think of the land and forest as unchanging, a static living ecosystem overlying the permanent land. Such is never the case. Over that geologically brief 13 millennia period, the forest has undergone many generations of change. Wildfire has occasionally ravaged even these hardwood stands. Hurricanes spinning  ferociously from the nearby Gulf made landfall. Wild, tornadic thunderstorms have leveled the forest repeatedly. Yet, to the untrained, unknowing eye, this forest looks as though it perhaps witnessed the beginning of time.

The basement limestone and its signature karst topography likely has changed, perhaps imperceptibly, over those 130 centuries yet, even so, slightly acidic rain and tannin-rich throughfall and litter-leached organic acids dissolve the limestone molecule by molecule. At the present rate of annual rainfall (60 inches), 65,000 feet of rain would have pounded this land over our 13,000 years. That’s 12.31 miles of rain!

Evergreen Ground Vegetation

Yucca beckoned my attention within the upland hardwood forest. Yes, I find it, albeit not common, in my northern Alabama home region. I saw it often during my several day wanderings in south Alabama, from Eufaula along the Chattahoochee to the Dixon Center.

I don’t recall seeing needle palm in north Alabama. Tales of Native Americans crossing the forests barefoot are common. However, an errant bare foot encountering the spiny center of this plant would hobble even the toughest of warriors and foragers. A deer-hide moccasin would have been my preference.

American holly, which extends abundantly into southern New England, ranges naturally throughout all of Alabama and across north Florida.

The dormant season hardwood forests of south Alabama can be rather drab. The evergreen ground and shrub species add an impression of vibrancy to the short winter season.

Feature Trees at this Special Place

Alabama hosts nine native pine species: loblolly; slash; white; pond; Virginia; shortleaf; longleaf; sand; and spruce. Spruce pine (pictured below) grows only in the southern half of Alabama. Its bark resembles black cherry, the primary tree species in the forests where I conducted my doctoral research. From online TreesForMe:

Spruce Pine, Pinus glabra (walter), found in the southeastern United States.  An uncommon tree, it is usually found singly in mixed forests. This native evergreen conifer gets its name because of the way it produces smaller branches between the major branch whorls similar to a spruce.  A medium sized tree, Spruce pines usually grow 80 to 100 feet tall and reach 2 to 2.5 feet in diameter.  The single trunk is straight with horizontal, somewhat drooping branches supporting a spreading, irregular crown. 

The native climate for Spruce pine has long, hot and humid summers followed by a short, mild winter.  Rarely found in pure stands, It is more commonly found as a lone tree with other hardwood species in the coastal plains of the southeast. Pinus glabra prefers moist to wet sites in bottomland woods or along swamps and riverbanks.

I had not encountered spruce pine since leaving Union Camp in 1985. I felt like I was seeing an old friend after a 37 year absence. The bark is so unique among our Alabama pines that I recognized it immediately.

Eastern red cedar ranges over all of Alabama. I see red cedar wherever I roam. Because the species thrives best on limestone derived soils, I view it as a soil indicator species. This individual caught my eye. It is a single stem with multiple columns. I refer to it as an odd columnar red cedar, the likes of which I have not previously encountered. I can offer no explanation other than that the columnar tendency is genotypic. Were I in the ornamental nursery business, I might be inclined to vegetatively propagate a few specimens to test whether the trait repeats in other environments. I wonder whether the stem is as strong as it appears.

I shall remain forever vigilant for tree form curiosities and oddities!

Gopher Tortoise — A Keystone Species in the Longleaf Region

From a University of Florida online source:

Gopher Tortoises (Gopherus polyphemus) are one of five tortoise species native to North America and the only species found east of the Mississippi River. At one time the tortoise could be found as far north as North Carolina and as far West as Eastern Texas, but human activity and associated habitat loss, have shrunk their range considerably. Gopher Tortoises are considered a keystone species in that other animals depend on their burrows for survival. Tortoise burrows are used by over 350 other species, including the Burrowing Owl, and the endangered Eastern Indigo snake.

Gopher Tortoises are long lived, reaching up to 100 years of age in captivity and living 60 or more years in the wild. They weigh 8-15 pounds and measure 10-15 inches end to end when fully grown. 

Named for the burrows they occupy, Gopher Tortoises excel at excavation, using their powerful legs to dig out tunnels that average 15 feet in length but can exceed lengths of 40 feet. These epic burrows offer protection from weather, fire, and predators and are where Gopher Tortoises spend most of their time. Gopher Tortoise burrows are easily identified by the single opening that is approximately the same width as the length of the tortoise, and by the sandy mound, or apron, that surrounds the entry.

We saw several gopher tortoise burrow openings with their distinctive soil apron. Ken provides scale at right.

I find Nature’s beauty, magic, wonder, awe, and inspiration wherever I seek it. The Solon Dixon property proved the point. I enjoyed renewing old friendships and seeing the Center through the wizened eyes and deep, extended familiarity that Rhett possesses. I can only imagine what other treasures of Nature, science, and human interest that a longer visit could reveal.

Thoughts and Reflections

I offer these observations:

• A crystal spring in deep forest has special secrets to share.
• Karst topography accents the interaction of bedrock, climate, and forests.
• Trees can be like old friends, generating special feelings and refreshing deep memories.

Inhale and absorb Nature’s elixir. May Nature Inspire, Inform, and Reward you!

If only more of us viewed our precious environment through the filters I employ. If only my mission and vision could be multiplied untold orders of magnitude:

Steve’s Three Books

I wrote my books Nature Based Leadership (2016), Nature-Inspired Learning and Leading (2017), and Weaned Seals and Snowy Summits: Stories of Passion for Place and Everyday Nature (2019; co-authored with Dr. Jennifer Wilhoit) to encourage all citizens to recognize and appreciate that every lesson for living, learning, serving, and leading is either written indelibly in or is powerfully inspired by Nature.

I began writing books and Posts for several reasons:

• I love hiking and exploring in Nature
• I see images I want to (and do) capture with my trusty iPhone camera
• I enjoy explaining those images — an educator at heart
• I don’t play golf!
• I actually do love writing — it’s the hobby I never needed when my career consumed me
• Judy suggested my writing is in large measure my legacy to our two kids, our five grand kids, and all the unborn generations beyond
• And finally, perhaps my books and Blogs could reach beyond family and touch a few other lives… sow some seeds for the future

All three of my books (Nature Based Leadership; Nature-Inspired Learning and Leading; Weaned Seals and Snowy Summits) present compilations of personal experiences expressing my (and co-author Dr. Wilhoit for Weaned Seals and Snowy Summits) deep passion for Nature. All three books offer observations and reflections on my relationship to the natural world… and the broader implications for society. Order any and all from your local indie bookstore, or find them on IndieBound or other online sources such as Amazon and LifeRich.

October 15, 2022, I spent the afternoon (and the following morning) visiting Auburn University’s Solon Dixon Forestry Education Center, where I had last been in 1984 when I served as Alabama Land Manager for Union Camp Corporation. My visit served as a celebratory reunion. Rhett Johnson, who hosted my 1984 tour and served as Solon Dixon Director for 26 years, likewise hosted my October return. Emmett Thompson, Auburn Dean Emeritus, College of Forestry, Wildlife, and Environment, and his son-in-law Ken Pylant also accompanied us. I worked closely with Emmett, who was then Dean, when I served as Director, Alabama Cooperative Extension System 1996-2001.

My excitement for re-visiting the The Solon Dixon Center brought back lots of memories, renewed long friendships, and reignited my passion for longleaf pine, a forest type that once extended across 92 million acres from southeastern Virginia to east Texas.

America’s Richest Forest

I left the Center with a signed copy of Rhett’s (along with Bill Finch, John C. Hall, and Beth Maynor Young) Longleaf, Far as the Eye Can see, a coffee-table-quality treasure that I will cherish! The book carries a tantalizing subtitle: A New Vision of America’s Richest Forest.

From the book:

In colonial times, the longleaf turned out to be very valuable for lumber and for the pitch, tar and turpentine made from the trees and believed to be the origin of North Carolina’s moniker, “Tar Heel State.” Eighteenth-century ships were made entirely of wood, and North Carolina was called upon to provide so-called “naval stores” including tar, pitch and turpentine that were used to keep ship bottoms waterproof and afloat.

Of course, much has changed in the South over the last 500 years. A survey conducted in 1996 by a Florida researcher found that less than 0.01 percent of the remaining longleaf pine forests could be considered old growth. This handful of virgin forests is a draw for scientists, serving as a benchmark for conditions prior to European settlement.

Only about one percent of their original range remains. Longleaf pine communities may have covered some 92 million acres across its natural range, but now fewer than 3 million acres remain.

Rhett updated the longleaf acreage numbers as we toured the property, indicating that the total acreage had dropped to 2.5 million and now, resulting from dedicated efforts across the south, stands at six million!

Longleaf is a long-lived species, kept vibrant with periodic fire. This stand may be two hundred years old, with widely-spaced overstory, scattered mid-story trees of lower age classes, and fire-dependant herbaceous ground vegetation.

William Bartram described such “high pine forests, dark and grassy savannas” from his wanderings 230 years ago. Well over 100 years ago, John Muir spoke of his travels in the longleaf forests:

“In ‘pine barrens’ most of the day.  Low, level, sandy tracts; the pines wide apart; the sunny spaces between full of beautiful abounding grasses, liatris, long, wand-like solidago (goldenrod), saw palmettos, etc., covering the ground in garden style. Here I sauntered in delightful freedom, meeting none of the cat-clawed vines, or shrubs, of the alluvial bottoms.”

The longleaf forest energizes me…reminds me of the two-century dynamic intersection of human and natural history as the new nation emerged in part by the thrust provided via a vast rich forest and the industry it supported. My own professional life launched and flourished during the 12 years I worked for Union Camp. Our company-owned Chapman Forest constituted 220,000 acres of intensively managed loblolly pine and associated hardwood stands in adjoining riparian areas in a five-county area of south-central Alabama, south of the black belt physiographic region. The loblolly had replaced original stands of longleaf. As a Fortune 500 paper and allied products manufacturing company, Union Camp’s forest management emphasized fiber production, for which loblolly best satisfied the objective.

Our Chapman Forest offices in Butler County stood within an old growth longleaf grove, which included several federally endangered red cockaded woodpecker colony trees. The nests at our location had been excavated 60-70 feet high in live trees. The birds keep the sap flowing to ward off snakes and other predators from their eggs and young…and to trap tasty insects.

(Stock image from internet)

The forest type extended northward to the southeast Virginia coastal plain, yet I do not recall encountering longleaf pine on the forests I managed there during the seven years I worked with Union Camp in that region. I would love to have seen the vast longleaf forest that stretched across the South prior to European settlement.

 The Solon Dixon Legacy

Rhett and Emmett shared stories of the Center’s namesake. Rhett gave me a copy of The Dixon Legend. Mr Dixon was a genuine legend from another era, a man who loved the land and its pine, and who left a lasting legacy through Auburn University.

Emmet (center), Rhett, and I stand in front of Mr Dixon’s family home, “built in the 1850’s and moved to its current site in the 1870’s.” It is “framed with locally milled pine… The home features hand-planed boards on the walls and ceiling… Originally surrounded by outbuildings related to the Dixon’s forestry operations, the Dixon home is now the center of the Solon Dixon Forestry Education Center.

“Four generations of Dixons, each promoting the management of trees as a renewable resource, made their living in forestry on this ground, thereby contributing significantly to Alabama’s economy and forest industry… Solon and Charles (Solon’s brother), both raised in this home, became successful forest product industrialists and recognized conservationists.”

“In 1978, Solon and his wife Martha, donated the land and a gift to Auburn University to build the Solon Dixon Forestry Education Center. Solon stated at the dedication in 1979, “Standing on the very ground which our ancestors homesteaded many years ago, we see the beginning of a learning and research center which will last far beyond our lifetimes.” The Solon and Martha Dixon Foundation Learning Center stands nearby.

A state of the art auditorium bears Rhett’s name as well as Dean Gerstad, a now retired Auburn forestry faculty member who dedicated his professional life to advancing longleaf pine science and practice.

Many former Auburn forestry students recall their undergraduate summer at forestry camp, conducted at the Center under Rhett’s tutelage. They all remember The Box where during Camp Rhett housed various and sundry snakes he collected on the property. I’m told that The Box served as the nexus for frequent snake-related harmless practical jokes!

Re-establishing Longleaf Pine

The Center and the allied Longleaf Alliance are striving to re-establish longleaf throughout its historic range. For example, the Bankhead National Forest in northwest Alabama, within the species’ natural range, plans to eventually convert one third of its pine uplands to longleaf. Similar efforts are accelerating across south Alabama.

Late in the afternoon October 15, 2022, we visited an area where the Solon Dixon crews are converting a mixed mature forest to longleaf pine. Following timber harvest, staff employed herbicide and fire as site preparation before planting longleaf seedlings. The planted trees have completed two growing seasons.

Longleaf can spend 1-4 years in the grass stage (below left) before sending up a first “candle” (below right).

Below left Rhett is showcasing a vigorous individual that candled in season one. My three fellow observers are standing at the edge of the converted area. Older longleaf borders the new stand.

I recorded this 1:44 video at the longleaf-regenerated clearcut:

Lasting Evidence of a Dying Operation and Trade

As we approached noon October 16, I snapped this photo of a loblolly pine plantation adjacent to a mature longleaf stand, one old enough to retain turpentine faces from naval stores operations decades ago. From the Southern Forest Heritage Museum website:

Naval stores are a nearly forgotten legacy in the South, but throughout history nations have depended on them, sought them out, and fought wars over these resins from pine trees. These products—tar, pitch, turpentine, and rosin—long kept wooden ships of the world afloat and were found to provide other uses prior to the petrochemical dominance. Even with the decline in sailing ships, there has been an international demand for these products.

The story of naval stores is remarkable and messy, but the industry helped support much of the South’s economy for nearly 400 years. Naval stores operations, which involved scoring the tree cambium, was slow to develop in Western Gulf states. The largest naval stores operations in these western states occurred following the harvest of the virgin pine forests. The resinous stumps that remained were harvested, chipped, and steamed to obtain the same chemicals that had been obtained by chipping live trees. 

We stopped at this old stand at sunset our first day. An old naval stores face is visible at the base of the tree at the left margin.

This scar (below left) is callousing over, yet the sap drip collar is still present. The same tree stands at right, its coarse branching and flattened crown are typical of old longleaf.

Here is another scarred face with an aluminum nail for hanging the collection bucket under the drip collar. Below right shows yet another old face on a tree still vibrant enough to actively callous the old wound.

Back at the Center Rhett show us an interior view of a working face. The view is from the tree’s perspective looking out to the scoring.

Here is another morning view into an old growth longleaf forest. This one appears to be overdue for a prescribed fire. An understory of woody vegetation has developed. I find the combination of forest, cerulean sky, and wispy cirrus irresistible.

Reuniting with Emmett and Rhett at the Solon Dixon Center, under the spectacular second morning sky, brought me squarely back to my forestry roots. My retirement wanderings have rewarded me over and over again. My eyes see far more today than they did during my younger, career-driven woodland explorations. In part, today I know well that Nature’s beauty, magic, wonder, and awe often lie hidden in plain sight. I now know better how to look so that I may see…and understand. Seeing and understanding open the door to appreciation and inspiration. Inspiration is a portal to lifting my heart, mind, body, soul, and spirit.

I’m soothed, too, to see that Rhett’s passion for our remarkable longleaf forests is expressed by his truck’s license plate!

I’m grateful that Rhett and Emmett have dedicated their professional lives to endeavors like assuring that the Solon Dixon legacy lives on through future forestry and wildlife professionals.

When Judy and I visited the Center so long ago, our children were four and six years old. They will soon be 44 and 46. I am reminded of the words of Louis Bromfield, mid-20th-century novelist, who dedicated his life to rehabilitating his “old worn-out” Ohio Farm:

The land came to us out of eternity, and when the youngest of us associated with it dies, it will still be here. The best that any of us can hope to accomplish during our fleeting existence is to leave some small corner of the world better through wisdom, knowledge, and hard work.

I applaud Emmett and Rhett for their wisdom, knowledge, and hard work…and their unflagging passion!

Thoughts and Reflections

I offer these observations:

• I am hopelessly addicted to stories of passion for special places.
• And for special forest types, like longleaf pine.
• The best that any of us can hope to accomplish during our fleeting existence is to leave some small corner of the world better through wisdom, knowledge, and hard work.

Inhale and absorb Nature’s elixir. May Nature Inspire, Inform, and Reward you!

If only more of us viewed our precious environment through the filters I employ. If only my mission and vision could be multiplied untold orders of magnitude:

Steve’s Three Books

I wrote my books Nature Based Leadership (2016), Nature-Inspired Learning and Leading (2017), and Weaned Seals and Snowy Summits: Stories of Passion for Place and Everyday Nature (2019; co-authored with Dr. Jennifer Wilhoit) to encourage all citizens to recognize and appreciate that every lesson for living, learning, serving, and leading is either written indelibly in or is powerfully inspired by Nature.

I began writing books and Posts for several reasons:

• I love hiking and exploring in Nature
• I see images I want to (and do) capture with my trusty iPhone camera
• I enjoy explaining those images — an educator at heart
• I don’t play golf!
• I actually do love writing — it’s the hobby I never needed when my career consumed me
• Judy suggested my writing is in large measure my legacy to our two kids, our five grand kids, and all the unborn generations beyond
• And finally, perhaps my books and Blogs could reach beyond family and touch a few other lives… sow some seeds for the future

All three of my books (Nature Based Leadership; Nature-Inspired Learning and Leading; Weaned Seals and Snowy Summits) present compilations of personal experiences expressing my (and co-author Dr. Wilhoit for Weaned Seals and Snowy Summits) deep passion for Nature. All three books offer observations and reflections on my relationship to the natural world… and the broader implications for society. Order any and all from your local indie bookstore, or find them on IndieBound or other online sources such as Amazon and LifeRich.

Nothing beats a sunrise along water. Staying overnight October 19, 2022 at the Joe Wheeler State Park Lodge near Rogersville, Alabama, I walked to lakeside at the next day’s dawn. A chilly fall morning rewarded me with a full dose of lake mist and brightening sky inspiration…the alchemy of fog wisps, first light, bordering trees, and marina-magic.

I snapped this image at 6:38 AM. As I often say, Nature’s daybreak glory never fails to reward my early-to-bed/early-to-rise life pattern. Nature metes her most potent elixir from astronomical twilight through nautical twilight to civil twilight and sunrise. The three twilight stages, respectively, occur when the sun ascends from 18-12, 12-6, and 6-0 degrees beneath the eastern horizon. Sunrise ends official twilight. The image below presents deep into civil twilight…awaiting sunrise. The three stages constitute what we term as dawn. I am a dedicated creature of dawn!

Here is the 1:26 video I recorded during that exquisite dawn: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z3PQ6u84_tU

How could a true nature enthusiast not experience this celebration of life and living that morning at 6:38 and 6:40 AM, respectively!? Such a morning lifts my spirits, girding me for whatever the day ahead presents.

As he so often did, John Muir captured the essence of my dawn experience:

Everybody needs beauty as well as bread, places to play in and pray in, where nature may heal and give strength to body and soul.

Turning westward, the light (6:42) played less spectacularly across the water and fog, yet still I found Muir’s words true to my sensation of awe and inspiration:

Look! Nature is overflowing with the grandeur of God!

Allow me a non-Nature sidebar. Near where I stood, a monument commemorated the lake and the Park’s namesake, General Joseph Wheeler, a West Point graduate and CSA cavalry general. Many in our time seem hellbent on virtue-signally the past into oblivion…wiping away elements of history they find disagreeable. I contend that we cannot today, 160 years after the onset of the Civil War, rewrite history to suit our own ideals, standards, and preferences. General Wheeler served his homeland (a Georgia native) faithfully and courageously during the war, then served his reunited country in Congress. At age 61 in 1898, Wheeler served as a major general in the Spanish-American War. A year later in sailed for the Philippines to fight in the Philippine-American War. Tear down his monument and wipe his name from the lake and park? That is the sentiment that George Orwell warned us may lie ahead in his prophetic 1984 novel!

Okay, I return us to the Nature of our October 20, 2022 dawn and sunrise. By 8:10 AM, the sun lifted well above the forested east rim of Lake Wheeler. The morning’s beauty, magic, wonder, and awe persisted!

I can’t resist offering another apt Muir quote:

There are no accidents in Nature. Every motion of the constantly shifting bodies in the world is timed to the occasion for some definite, fore-ordered end. The flowers blossom in obedience to the same law that marks the course of constellations, and the song of a bird is the echo of a universal symphony. Nature is one, and to me the greatest delight of observation and study is to discover new unities in this all-embracing and eternal harmony.

Early Afternoon Venture into the Lakeside Forest

The fog had long since lifted when Judy and I entered the Awesome Trail following the Board meeting and lunch. We had photographed the Awesome Trail from our pontoon boat lake tour the prior afternoon. The trail winds through the forest just 30-40 feet from the lake in the image below.

The trail was a magic carpet of shed leaves, the woods glowing with a soft autumn yellow.

I thought of Robert Frost:

In retrospect, my now 71 years in the yellow woods have made all the difference! I’ve seldom (ever?) had a bad day in the woods.

Muir said it simply and succinctly:

And into the forest I go, to lose my mind and find my soul.

Alabama State Parks Foundation

Thoughts and Reflections

I offer these observations:

• Nature’s dawn magic leaps from its nighttime slumber!
• A chilly fall morning rewarded me with a full dose of lake mist and brightening sky inspiration…the alchemy of fog wisps, first light, bordering trees, and marina-magic.
• John Muir: Nature is one, and to me the greatest delight of observation and study is to discover new unities in this all-embracing and eternal harmony.

Inhale and absorb Nature’s elixir. May Nature Inspire, Inform, and Reward you!

If only more of us viewed our precious environment through the filters I employ. If only my mission and vision could be multiplied untold orders of magnitude:

Steve’s Three Books

I wrote my books Nature Based Leadership (2016), Nature-Inspired Learning and Leading (2017), and Weaned Seals and Snowy Summits: Stories of Passion for Place and Everyday Nature (2019; co-authored with Dr. Jennifer Wilhoit) to encourage all citizens to recognize and appreciate that every lesson for living, learning, serving, and leading is either written indelibly in or is powerfully inspired by Nature.

I began writing books and Posts for several reasons:

• I love hiking and exploring in Nature
• I see images I want to (and do) capture with my trusty iPhone camera
• I enjoy explaining those images — an educator at heart
• I don’t play golf!
• I actually do love writing — it’s the hobby I never needed when my career consumed me
• Judy suggested my writing is in large measure my legacy to our two kids, our five grand kids, and all the unborn generations beyond
• And finally, perhaps my books and Blogs could reach beyond family and touch a few other lives… sow some seeds for the future

All three of my books (Nature Based Leadership; Nature-Inspired Learning and Leading; Weaned Seals and Snowy Summits) present compilations of personal experiences expressing my (and co-author Dr. Wilhoit for Weaned Seals and Snowy Summits) deep passion for Nature. All three books offer observations and reflections on my relationship to the natural world… and the broader implications for society. Order any and all from your local indie bookstore, or find them on IndieBound or other online sources such as Amazon and LifeRich.

This post offers 44 minutes of sunrise inspiration at Alabama’s Lakepoint State Park and Eufaula National Wildlife Refuge October 15, 2022.

An equinox stroke eliminated my planned March 2022 trip to Lakepoint State Park for a quarterly Alabama State Parks Foundation Board meeting. I vowed to visit the Park once I recovered and summer had passed into fall. I arrived Wednesday October 12, in time for lunch at the Lakepoint SP Lodge, met by my host Tasha Simon, Natural Resources Section Chief, Alabama State Parks. Tasha toured me through the Park that afternoon and through mid-afternoon Thursday, offering ideas for me to pursue until I departed early Saturday morning for Andalusia.

I focus this post on the truly spectacular sunrise I chronicled Saturday. Interestly, the Park is surrounded by the Eufaula National Wildlife Refuge. I ventured from the Lodge, walking the Lake Eufaula shoreline, my feet firmly planted on the State Park. However, every photo over Lake Eufaula, created by damming the Chattahoochee River downstream, captured images of the Eufaula NWR. The partnership and co-location stand as a story of interagency success: US Fish and Wildlife Service and Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources.

The sun rose by my watch at 6:55. Leaving my room at 6:30, I looked ESE to the lodge at 6:39 (left) and snapped the mist rising above the bay  at 6:40.

I don’t see much need for my own narrative. The photos speak volumes; their beauty requires little interpretation. My more typical forest wanderings (and wonderings) warrant adding my observations, reflections, and ecological explanations.  These views at 6:42 and 6:48, quite simply reflect the absolute calm and serenity of an autumn dawn, air cool enough above the water to condense rising mists.

Some bands of mist created fog banks, adding elements of intrigue and mystery to the 6:51 and 6:57 waterscapes. Already, anticipating a mild and sunny day, fishermen are launching their craft. I wonder how many marveled at Nature’s beauty, magic, wonder, and awe…a reach far beyond the allure of landing a big bass. Back in the days of my youthful fishing, I recall even then that catching was important, but really secondary to the joy and inspiration of being outdoors. I felt echoes of that youthful joy from early mornings shared with Dad and my older brother. In fact, Dad stood with me (really, in me) October 15. I sense his presence often in such special Nature moments. Occasionally, near-conversations flow, not audibly, yet seeming so very real. My eyes shared the morning mists.

My 3:18 video depicts the peace, quiet, serenity, and beauty of that misty sunrise.

According to my iPhone photograph, the rising sun punctuated the dawn at 6:56 AM as I walked through the boat launch parking lot.

I cherish the impactful moment I captured with this 2:37 video. My videography is nothing special. It is my timing…my early morning wanderings at the right place…that are noteworthy. As my ardent angler friend often reminded me, “There is only one way to guarantee catching no fish.” Each time I would ask, “And what is that.” His consistent reply, “Never wet a line.” I would never capture a good dawn photo or video if I never arose before dawn.

Like all of life and living, Nature enthusiasm requires showing up. I had driven more than four hours to spend three days at Lakepoint State Park and the Eufaula National Wildlife Refuge. I was not about to miss opportunities for experiencing the deep and varied Nature of the place!

I snapped my favorite image right after sunrise as two fishermen worked the shoreline backlit by the rising sun at 6:57 AM.

American lotus and vegetation across the water accepted the sun’s slanting rays at 6:58 AM. I suppose the early morning anglers in every photo were eager for the sun’s warmth.

The two gentlemen in the backlit scene above soon fished their way from the bank heading into more open water, trolling across the piling dockside, at 7:00 and 7:01.

By 7:14 AM, daylight was in full swing as I trekked back to the lodge to head for Andalusia for the Longleaf Pine exploration leg of my journey.

I captured this collection of photos, videos, observations, reflections, and memories across 44 minutes. I feel an urgency in sharing these remarkably soul-stirring and spirit-lifting 2,640 seconds with other Nature enthusiasts. My two-part retirement Vision is quite simple:

• People of all ages will pay greater attention to and engage more regularly with Nature… and will accept and practice informed and responsible Earth Stewardship.
• They will see their relationship to our natural world with new eyes… and will understand more clearly their Earth home.

I could write a lengthy treatise on my rationale for why I believe people should pay greater attention to and engage more with Nature…and modify their relationship to the natural world. Instead, I choose to condense my arguments into more such 44-minute distillations.

Alabama State Parks Foundation

Thoughts and Reflections

I offer these observations:

• I find Nature’s beauty, magic, wonder, and awe wherever I seek it, especially at dawn.
• I want to feel Nature’s essence and taste and inhale her sunrise elixir!
• The land and water came to us out of eternity; I thank God for our collective wisdom to secure special places in perpetuity.

Inhale and absorb Nature’s elixir. May Nature Inspire, Inform, and Reward you!

If only more of us viewed our precious environment through the filters I employ. If only my mission and vision could be multiplied untold orders of magnitude:

Steve’s Three Books

I wrote my books Nature Based Leadership (2016), Nature-Inspired Learning and Leading (2017), and Weaned Seals and Snowy Summits: Stories of Passion for Place and Everyday Nature (2019; co-authored with Dr. Jennifer Wilhoit) to encourage all citizens to recognize and appreciate that every lesson for living, learning, serving, and leading is either written indelibly in or is powerfully inspired by Nature.

I began writing books and Posts for several reasons:

• I love hiking and exploring in Nature
• I see images I want to (and do) capture with my trusty iPhone camera
• I enjoy explaining those images — an educator at heart
• I don’t play golf!
• I actually do love writing — it’s the hobby I never needed when my career consumed me
• Judy suggested my writing is in large measure my legacy to our two kids, our five grand kids, and all the unborn generations beyond
• And finally, perhaps my books and Blogs could reach beyond family and touch a few other lives… sow some seeds for the future

All three of my books (Nature Based Leadership; Nature-Inspired Learning and Leading; Weaned Seals and Snowy Summits) present compilations of personal experiences expressing my (and co-author Dr. Wilhoit for Weaned Seals and Snowy Summits) deep passion for Nature. All three books offer observations and reflections on my relationship to the natural world… and the broader implications for society. Order any and all from your local indie bookstore, or find them on IndieBound or other online sources such as Amazon and LifeRich.