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ROCKSPAN FARM
  • Home
  • About Rockspan Farm
  • Karst at Rockspan
  • The Revenant
  • Contact us
  • Product Development
  • Installing Turtle Pads
  • Enjoy the scenery
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"We have already lost nearly half the world's trees, most within the last 100 years."  Time Magazine, 8.27.20

Welcome to Rockspan tree farm

Tree farm, harvest logs, grow trees, Rockspan farm
Tree & Land management
We manage over 200 acres of timber and farm land with small orchards, nut groves, ponds and projects.  
tree farm, fencing, revenant
Innovative Conservation Projects
We're transitioning from old practices to a rotational grazing system with silviculture components.  We're rebuilding the soil and timber one day at a time.
Visitors to Rockspan Farm, tree farm
Education & Advocacy
Rockspan is only a few miles from Springfield, Missouri so we host visits from Drury University, Missouri State University, Springfield R-12, non-profits and many others.

Maps of Rockspan Farm

Map of Rockspan farm, sustainable tree farm, grow trees, ozarks tree farm
This is the big picture of Rockspan Farm. The details are fuzzy, but you get the idea; there are lots of projects in the works.
Sac River, Rockspan farm, tree farm, grow trees
Rockspan Farm is located in the Sac River Watershed. Our large fresh water spring flows into the Sac and then North to Stockton Lake where it provides water for the region, including Springfield. Thanks to the Watershed Committee of the Ozarks!
Rockspan Farm map, sustainable tree farm, grow trees
Rockspan is about 11 miles West from the center of Springfield, Missouri. We're on a plateau of an ancient mountain range.

Projects at Rockspan Farm

The Chandler Walnut Grove

We ordered a bag of Chandler walnuts from California and had them turned into RPM trees by our friends at Forest Keeling Nursery in Elsberry, Missouri.  Chandlers were developed in 1979 and are a favorite world wide.  They grow in large numbers out west, but are rare in the Ozarks.  We're hopeful these popular trees will do well in our extremely weird weather. 
Will Chiles, Rockspan Farm, chandler walnuts, grow trees, sustainable tree farm
Farm Operations Manager Will Chiles shows our Chandler planting technique: We use a large landscape fabric, Grow Tubes and irrigation along with high tech soil amendments.
Chandler walnuts, rockspan farm, tree farm, grow walnuts, sustainable walnuts
We hope our Chandler Grove produces walnuts like this someday...
Biochar, Mark Mann, chandler walnut, sustainable tree, tree farm
Mark Mann of American BioChar Company talks soil health with Will Chiles.
Rockspan farm, tree farm, transplant trees, gallon trees, building 137
We bought seeds from California and asked Forest Keeling Nursery in Elsberry, Missouri to raise them as their special RPM trees.
Walnut grove, sustainable walnuts, tree tubes, biochar, sustainable trees
Really hard to see at this angle, but you're looking at about 130 Chandlers including pollinating versions planted in a five concentric circle formation. We have an excellent south facing slope with good temperature drainage.
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From this drone view, you can see the pattern of the Chandler Walnuts. You can see the elements of the subsurface irrigation system and the space between the trees for additional, complimentary plantings. Photo by Jim Chiles.

We work to manage a deadly Ash Tree Disease

Rockspan Farm cultivates thousands of native trees.  Among them are valuable hardwood Ash trees in white, green and the rare black varieties.
The non-native Emerald Ash Borer arrived from Asia only a few decades ago and has devastated our trees.  We see “blonding” on hundreds of Ash trees caused by the invasive borers.  
Ash trees in Asia have survived because of the presence of beneficial (non stinging) wasp varieties that lay eggs in the invaders and kill them.  We are applying for a spot in a national testing program to measure the effectiveness of these special ‘biocontrol’ agents by 
identifying our Ash crop, locating them on a sensitive GPS map and noting the course of the disease.  Managing this program is Lexi Snider, an undergraduate at nearby Drury University majoring in environmental biology with minors in chemistry and music.  She writes: “This data is used to determine potential testing sites for capture of emerald ash borers as well as release sites for biocontrol wasps. The selected trees will remain under constant observation as testing continues. “
You can see the steps of her work below
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Lexi finds an Ash tree in our forest.
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She uses a sophisticated GPS tool to locate the tree and then enters the coordinates into a Mergin map program.
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Here's the culprit: the Emerald Ash Borer. About the size of a penny.
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First she finds North and then nails an identifying number to each tree.
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Here's her tool set: Geode GPS tool, hammer, tree tag, & phone with Mergin maps loaded.
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And these are the larvae of the Emerald Ash Borer making grooves below the bark as they destroy the tree causing "blonding" you can see from a distance.
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As of this writing, she has found over 1,000 Ash trees.
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Those squiggly lines are called galleries showing the paths of the Emerald Ash Borer larvae as they eat and destroy the cambium layer of the Ash.
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This is one of four beneficial, stingless, wasps that feed on the Emerald Ash Borer and their larvae. We hope to introduce these to our forest in a carefully controlled experiment.

The Sac River Revenant Project

We planted almost 6,000 native trees in a 20 acre plot next to the beautiful, spring-fed Sac River.  This land had been degraded through improper grazing.  The riparian corridor was in shambles and the hundreds of cattle were in the river daily doing more damage to a stream that supplies water for Springfield, Missouri.  
Sac river revenant, riparian corridor, sustainable trees, river restoration, river recovery, stream bank, stream bank stabilization
Corey Robb did our cool logo. It took years, but the Sac River is finally showing real improvements from a revitalized riparian corridor.
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Tom and Will inspect small trees we got from the Missouri Department of Conservation.
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We planted almost 6,000 native trees in 20 acres along the Sac River to arrest soil erosion, clean up the water supply and improve property values on both sides of the river.
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We borrowed a tree planting machine from the Missouri Department of Conservation.
plant bald cypress, restore riparian corridor, river restoration, tree planting, tree farm, sustainable trees
Along parts of the Sac River, we had to plant trees by hand.
rockspan farm, fencing, river recovery, revenant, tree farm
Part of our work including fencing out cattle from the river. We drilled a deep ag well so they would have water.

Before we started working...

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Cattle in a spring-fed river. Always a bad idea. Photo by Mike Chiles.
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Dead trees pile up and clog the spring-fed river.
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Along the banks of the river was a toxic mix of mud and manure. Photo by Mike Chiles.
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Sharp cattle hooves kill young tree roots. Photo by Mike Chiles.

and the river today...

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The confluence of two large freshwater springs on the Sac River. Over 9 million gallons of fresh water daily pass this point.
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The Sac takes spring water and flows north to Stockton Lake where it supplies fresh water to hundreds of thousands of people.

New Threats to the Riparian Corridor

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Beavers are a part of our ecosystem, but they are really hard on trees along our growing riparian corridor.
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We can't control what comes down the river to us. Here we see a large nutrient flow from what we suspect is a cattle operation upstream. Cattle in the river? Always a bad idea.
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In this case, the wily beaver has killed another ash tree which suffers from a deadly disease carried by the emerald ash borer.

The Pecan Groves

pecan grove, pecan tree, tree tube, tree farm, sustainable tree, drip irrigation, hybrid pecans
The pecans are poking out of their new translucent Grow Tubes. These tubes are designed to keep the wild deer population from destroying the trees. Note also the large landscape fabric designed to keep the weeds at bay.
Will Chiles, pecan tree, tree tube, ground cloth, sustainable trees, tree farm
Will Chiles is the farm operations manager. To the right you see his schematic for the placing and experiments with the Pecans. The site is not optimal, but that's the Ozarks for you. The colored boxes represent different soil treatments including beneficial bacteria, mycorrhiza colonies, biochar and other recipes in a measured amount.
pecan grove, pecan trees, tree tubes, biochar, ground cover, sustainable trees, tree farm
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Bald Cypress Grove & large plantings

Ozarks farm, large spring, river boundary, spillway, earthen dam, sustainable tree farm, rockspan farm
Native Bald Cypress trees are a treasure. They can live almost 2,000 years and provide cover and soil stability. They love wet feet and produce interesting features called "knees".
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We have about 50 large bald cypress trees on the farm and we've planted almost another 1,000.
bald cypress, cypress tree, cypress grove, sustainable tree farm, rockspan farm, cypress grove
Our biggest bald cypress grove is on the Top Forty in a wet valley. These trees are about 5 years old.
rockspan farm, tree farm, cypress grove
See the big map at the top of the page to locate the Cypress Grove.

Rotational Grazing & Silvoculture

Rotational grazing involves moving grazing herds from one paddock to another based on that day's grass supply.  This gives the animals the freshest greenery with the most protein.  It also saves the land from overgrazing and seriously reduces water runoff and erosion.  
USDA, NRCS, silviculture, rotational grazing, cattle paddocks, drip irrigation, irrigation, tree farm, rockspan farm
We're working with USDA and at the soil people at NRCS to install a rotational grazing/silviculture system.
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Here's a layout for the 2" main water/irrigation lines for Rockspan Farm. We've made plans for silviculture, livestock watering and pollinator plots.
Mike Chiles, Will Chiles, tree farm, rockspan farm, drip irrigation, irrigation valves, sustainable tree farm, plant trees,
Will and Mike Chiles are setting up future access points for watering plants off the main 2" irrigation supply.
drip irrigation, tree farm, pecan grove, emitters, tree tube, tree farm, water trees
The pecans get a drip emitter on each side of the tree.
Will Chiles, tree farm, Rockspan farm, drip irrigation, plant trees, walnut trees, chandler walnuts
This is the first day we tried the new drip irrigation system. Success!
Will Chiles, rockspan farm, tree farm, irrigation, rotational grazing, sustainable farm
Will Chiles is fabricating posts for the rotational grazing system.
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John and Will rig a swing gate for easy access to our Pecan Grove. This entails burying lines in shallow trenches between the posts.
drip irrigation, water trees, tree farm, poly pipe, emitter, rockspan farm
We use a drip irrigation system for our tree plantings with daily measured amounts of fresh water.
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John Chiles armors the electric cable.
rockspan farm, tree farm, well house, drip
We located a new well house over the 425 foot deep well. Standing water at about 100 feet. Remarkably clean, cool, fresh water in abundance.
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Our irrigation system includes almost 2 miles of buried pipes and related fittings. We use the water for our planned rotational grazing and also for our trees and shrubs.
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Brother Mike Chiles

How we plant a new small orchard

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We picked an old fescue field to plant 18 hybrid RMP native persimmon trees from Forrest Keeling Nursery. We spaced them widely apart because we plan on planting elderberries between the rows.
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We use water, biochar, and a proprietary beneficial bacteria soup for each tree. We try to plant most of our new trees in the Fall.
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In a properly sized hole, we make sure there's a lot of water to welcome the young tree.
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We add the beneficial bacteria.
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Biochar has huge surface area to provide living quarters for the new bacteria.
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Finally, we choke off the vegetation above the drip line with one of our Treedrings before adding more layers of mulch.

Timber Operations

We're saving our money for a small portable sawmill, but in the meantime, we practice TSI or Timber Stand Improvement.  This starts when professional foresters tour our woods, marking trees that are invasive, malformed and mainly overcrowded.  We use our chainsaws and heavy equipment to improve our timber stands and to minimize erosion which comes when the forest floor is deprived of sunlight.  We use fires strategically for the same reason.  Bigger logs we cut to 8 foot lengths and skid them out and into racks for drying.
hardwood forest, sustainable tree farm, tree farm, rockspan farm, harvest timber, load trees, grow trees,
We're in the heart of a vast hardwood forest in the Ozarks. We grow huge trees of great value including white oak, walnut and bald cypress.
tree scientists, timber stand improvement, tree farm, rockspan farm, MDC
We work with tree scientists from the Missouri Department of Conservation to do Timber Stand Improvement (TSI).
aged timber, store wood, tree farm, dry wood, rockspan farm
We age and store wood slabs in one of our old barns.
Tom Chiles, tree farm, saw timber, chainsaw work, rockspan farm, timber harvest
Tom Chiles slices through a shag bark hickory tree.
rockspan farm, tree farm, skid trees, harvest hardwood trees, grow trees,
We're skidding out trees as part of a timber stand improvement project.
timber stand improvement, TSI, tree farm, harvest wood, harvest trees, sustainable tree farm
We're removing diseased and invasive trees from our land to improve the overall health of the forest. It's called TSI or Timber Stand Improvement.
harvest wood, tree farm, sustainable tree farm, rockspan farm,
John and Jim Chiles are plotting a cut to a huge cherry tree slab.
Tom Chiles, Iris Chiles, tree farm, willow oak tree, plant trees, rockspan farm,
Tom Chiles and his daughter Iris are planting a willow oak from Forrest Keeling nursery.
red oak, tree farm, harvest trees, saw log, rockspan farm
That's a cross section of a native red oak. These live about 75 years.

Ginseng Project

Rockspan farm, ginseng crop, ginseng plant, tree farm
First we identified ideal places for ginseng. Then we prepped the ground with our Cat.
David Chiles, ginseng plant, tree farm, rockspan farm
David worked over the cleared land with a tiller.
David Chiles, Tom Chiles, plant ginseng, ginseng seeds, tree farm
We planted hundreds of ginseng seeds by hand and applied biochar and beneficial bacteria along with a straw cover.
Will Chiles, plant ginseng, ginseng seeds, water ginseng, tree farm
We hauled water to the new plots and Will made sure they get a good start.
Ginseng plant, ginseng plots, ginseng seeds, tree farm, rockspan farm
After all the work, the ginseng plots look like this. There are 8 in total.
rockspan farm, ginseng plants, ginseng seeds
Here's what ginseng plants look like today, about 1.5 years later!

Rockspan Spring Restoration Project

Mike Chiles, Will Chiles, Tom Chiles, John Chiles, spring, fresh water spring, natural spring, rockspan farm, tree farm, Ozarks spring
Mike, Will, John and Tom Chiles inspect the spring project.
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You can see the large natural arch in the background. The excavator is removing debris from the spring pool to keep it out of the lake.
rockspan farm, natural spring, fresh spring water, ozarks spring, tree farm, spring recovery
Rockspan Spring is a famous local landmark. It produces 3.5 million gallons of spring water per day on an annual basis. Over the years the spring basin filled with debris from rain events.
rockspan spring, native spring, fresh water spring, ozarks spring, 404 permit, spring restoration, SWT Design, tree farm
So, we got our 404 permit from the U.S. Corps of Engineers and we're removing the debris to get back to a more natural state of affairs.
Ted Spaid, Scott Runde, SWT design, rockspan farm, tree farm, spring restoration, spring recovery, sustainable spring
Ted Spaid & Scott Runde from SWT Design helped us with plans for a sustainable restoration of the spring.
rockspan spring, fresh water spring, large ozarks spring, spring water, rockspan farm, tree farm
Our finished project will have walkways, bridges, scenic overlooks and a refurbished spring pool.
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The big excavator found a new room at the end of the new slot canyon.
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Behind the arch we found a new room.
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We loved the old stone wall over the main spring, but the footing had washed away and it was a danger.
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The Rockspan Arch is now dramatic.
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After the excavator left, we see what the spring must have resembled to the Native Americans. Now we wait for vegetation.
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Dave & Mike work on the new guard rail. Below is the newly discovered slot canyon.
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We like bigger top rails for viewing.
Rockspan farm spring, rockspan spring, tree farm, SWT design, spring restoration, spring recovery
Ted & Scott from SWT design came up with this concept. Notice the attention to natural features and vegetation.

We build an overlook 

tree farm, sustainable, spring water
We need a way to get from the top of the bluff to the new spring openings below so we start digging.
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We anchor all the uprights into the rock below.
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Neighbor Dave Coonrod and Mike Chiles begin framing.
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We put extra wide handrails because the view is so cool.
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Ole Cussin Cousin Rich Simpson bores holes in rock for the piers.
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Johnny Chiles brings up the IQ and lowers the average age when he helps us.
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Yep, that's a 16' 6x6 timber.
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From the bluff you can see the progress.
Ozarks spring, rock bluffs, tree farm
We've built an overlook, removed many truckloads of debris and expanded the spring pool.

Chinquapin Restoration Project

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The Chinquapin is closely related to the great American Chestnut. We've planted a small grove of Ozarks Chinquapins and placed them in Grow Tube, Tree Protectors. Will Chiles is consulting with Richard Herman, a famous local permaculturalist.
Chinquapin, tree tube, chinquapin tree, restore chinquapin, chestnut, tree farm, rockspan farm
You can see the baby Chinquapin developing at the bottom of the Grow Tube.
rare ozark chinquapin, chinquapin tree, tree farm,rockspan farm
This is a rare Ozark Chinquapin from a small survivor grove in Arkansas. This is where we got our seedlings.
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We work to restore Native Canebrakes: Gigantea!

There are only two varieties of bamboo native to North America.  One is called Gigantea Aruninaria.  Once, much of the river systems of our continent were lined with vast stands (called Canebrakes) that provided long lasting and valuable riparian corridors.  Now 98% of that resource is dead.  We are working with Dr. Alexander Wait and his graduate students at Missouri State University to study the propagation of Gigantea and its reputation for sequestering carbon.  We are also interested in the plant's ability to reduce erosion into the Sac River and to clean up water that will become drinking water for nearby Springfield and hundreds of thousands of people. 
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We cleared an area in the Revenant (see above) for Dr. Wait's carbon sequestration experiments.
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Studying the decomposition of the Gigantea plant parts will tell us how fast carbon can be returned to the soil.
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MSU biology students laid out a grid and planted bags of Gigantea leaves and plant matter to study its decomposition over time.
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Brother Mike and I were thrilled to find a very small stand of Gigantea on the nearby Turnback River.
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Dr. Wait and Brother Mike measure the plantings precisely.
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In one of our greenhouses, we practice making starts from the culms of plants we harvested.
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Dr. Wait and several of his graduate students drop by to measure our progress.

PawPaws, Apples & Figs

Pawpaw orchard, Pawpaws, pawpaw trees, grow pawpaws, rockspan farm, tree farm, sustainable tree farm
We planted a small PawPaw orchard in 2012 and it's doing great. These fruit are the largest native American fruit: about the size of an avocado.
Rockspan tree farm, apple orchard, grow trees, tree farm
We also grow apples for eating, cider and feeding the irritating squirrel population.
Ozarks tree farm, rockspan tree farm, grow figs, fig tree, harvest figs, rockspan farm, fresh figs
We grow fig plants. These are a variety known as Chicago Hardy. They do great until the first frost.
Ames Chiles, pollinate pawpaw, grow pawpaws, pawpaw orchard, tree farm, rockspan farm
One of our inspirations for the BeeFoster company was our experience hand pollinating our PawPaw blossoms.
ozarks tree farm, apple orchard, cider press, harvest apples, tree farm
Jenifer and David are setting up the cider press.
Dean Alberty, tree scientist, study trees, american chestnut, rockspan farm, tree farm
Dean Alberty is a local tree scientist and a great guy. He is our consultant for anything having to do with trees.

Hornworm Relocation Project

Will Chiles, John Chiles, hornworm, pollinators, rockspan farm, tree farm, plant tomatoes
Last year we fed pesky tomato hornworms to the chickens. But hornworms produce moths that pollinate native plants. So, we decided to create a special area and plant it with tomatoes that can be sacrificed to the cause of pollination. Will & John are growing starts in the greenhouse.
rockspan farm, relocate hornworms, hawkmoth,  tree farm, Will Chiles
On the site of an ancient Native American village, we plant a small area with tomato plants.
Rockspan Farm, tree farm, preserve pollinators, hornworms,
Then we added some water from our new irrigation system and voila! Sacrificial tomatoes for raising hornworms!
hornworm, save hornworm, pollinator, rockspan farm, tree farm
Hornworm: pest or pollinator? Yes!
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Hornworms turn into Hawkmoths which are a pest to gardeners and also a plant pollinator.

Earthen Dam Maintenance

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Earthen dams need constant vigilance and maintenance. The main problems are leaks at the foot of the dam, leaks around the spillway and critters who dig holes.
Rockspan Farm, earthen dam maintenance
We started with a four foot trench at the foot of the dam.
Tree farm, Rockspan farm, dam maintenance, dam trench
We laid in long sections of 6" diameter, perforated & sleeved corrugated drain pipe.
Rockspan farm, tree farm, dam trench, earthen dam
Off the main line were drain lines that ran to the river nearby.
tree farm, rockspan farm, dam maintenance, trenching, bentonite
We used bentonite, a absorbent clay to seal the channels.
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The top of the spillway was a special challenge. How to find the leak?
earthen dam, rockspan farm, repair dam, bentonite, dam trench
We think we found the leak and so we filled the void with bentonite and clay/soil.
rockspan farm, repair dam, install dam bridge
Mike, Will and Tom are preparing footings for a new bridge.
Dave Coonrod, rockspan farm, install bridge, earthen dam
Mike and neighbor, Dave Coonrod are lifting the new bridge into place.

PondArk Project

Floating turtles, turtle refuge, save turtles, Pondark, tree farm, rockspan farm
We build these devices in our shop and put them on our ponds and lake. They are a home for turtles, blue herons, muskrats and fish.
Ames Chiles, floating turtles, turtle refuge, save turtles, Pondark, tree farm, rockspan farm
Ames building a PondArk in our Mysterious Building 137 workshop.
Tom Chiles, floating turtles, turtle refuge, save turtles, Pondark, tree farm, rockspan farm
Tom is working on an early version of the PondArk.
Jim Chiles, turtle habitat, fish habitat, floating turtles, turtle refuge, save turtles, Pondark, tree farm, rockspan farm
Brother Jim Chiles assembles a fish habitat feature that rides on the anchor rope. Fish need safe habitat in a pond setting and this is one way to do it.
Tom Chiles, install turtle pad, turtle habitat, fish habitat, floating turtles, turtle refuge, save turtles, Pondark, tree farm, rockspan farm
Tom carries a PondArk to be launched on our little lake.
Tom Chiles, Will Chiles, Jim Chiles, turtle habitat, fish habitat, floating turtles, turtle refuge, save turtles, tree farm, rockspan farm
Tom and Will are securing the anchor rope to the bottom of the PondArk. You can see we are experimenting with different types of floatation.
Tom Chiles, Will Chiles, install pond habitat, turtle habitat, ozarks tree farm, save turtles
These PondArks are ready to be launched into one of our ponds.
save turtles, rockspan farm, tree farm, turtle habitat, turtle platform
Will and Tom throw out the anchors and then make sure there is proper distance between each PondArk.
turtles bask, turtle habitat, save turtles, rockspan farm, sustainable tree farm
Pond turtles bask in the sun. But we also observe this platform being used as a fishing spot by Blue Herons and a lunch spot for muskrats. So, we are taking care of amphibians, birds and mammals.

Restore Cucurbita Pepo Ozarkana squash

There are only four prehistoric plants known to have been domesticated in North America.  Only recently have archeologists rediscovered and identified the amazing Cucurbita Pepo Ozarkana squash.  This beautiful gourd is the ancestor of the many squash varieties we enjoy today.   We noticed that there were hundreds of them washing up in the Revenant (see above) in the fall and we collected them to see what they were.  Today we are growing them to see what value they may have in our modern era.  You can read more about this historic plant at https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1992-11-22-mn-2164-story.html?fbclid=IwAR1SEnJc2aZbq5iUFAmpXrjNNENVWxxE1VHK8CBhhMpNw8spvWoSIJ26nmo
rockspan farm, ozarkana squash, pepo squash, cucurbita pepo ozarkana squash, native squash, harvest squash
Rain events bring hundreds of historic Ozarkana squash to our low lying fields. Each one holds about 25 seeds. We think native americans have used them for food and cups and fishing bobbers for about 8,000 years. They were recently rediscovered and identified.
tree farm, rockspan farm, ozarkana squash, pepo squash, cucurbita pepo ozarkana squash, native squash, harvest squash
The Ozarkana squash typically looks like this and doesn't grow much bigger.
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We see variations in coloring including yellow, green and white in interesting combinations.

Trees, gardens, archeology and more

Ames Chiles, rockspan farm, tree farm, raised bed gardens, work the soil, spring planting
We have a bunch of raised bed gardens.
John Moore, bee keeper, honey bees, rockspan farm, tree farm
Our friend, John Moore keeps honeybees on our farm.
Will Chiles, fence cross over, cross fence safely, rockspan farm, tree farm
We build and mount fence cross-overs so we can connect the trails on the farm.
Jack Ray, MSU, archeology, shovel test, rockspan farm, tree farm, find arrowheads
Jack Ray, brainy PhD archeologist at MSU brings grad students to the farm to scout out ancient native American settlements.
arrowhead, native flint point, rockspan farm, tree farm, find arrowhead, rare arrowhead
We don't dig for artifacts, but when we disturb the soil for any reason, chances are pretty good there's something old and beautiful to see.
tree stand, deer stand, crows nest tree stand, crows nest deer stand, rockspan farm, tree farm, circular deer stand
We build cool deer stands/critter observatories on the farm. This one is called a crows nest.
Ames Chiles, rockspan farm, tree farm, raise chickens, chicken coop
Ames raises chickens, mostly easter egg versions and we share eggs with the neighbors.
Ames Chiles, remove thistles, tree farm
Every year we have to destroy the invasive thistles. It's the law!
LEED platinum house, rockspan house, Dan Chiles, Margy Chiles, tree farm, solar powered house
Dan and Margy live on the farm in a solar powered LEED Platinum certified house. Designed for efficiency, comfort and tornado resistance, it is radiant cooled and heated by a tiny ground source heat pump.
morel mushrooms, find morels, rockspan farm, tree farm
We raise guineas next to our chickens. These are natives to Africa, are quite social and noisy.
rockspan farm, tree farm, raise tomatoes,
The Ozarks were once the great producers of tomatoes for the United States. We honor that tradition on our farm.
David Chiles, Dave Chiles, Jenifer Chiles, Rockspan farm, tree farm entrance, Certified tree farm
Jenifer and David stand at the entrance to Rockspan farm.
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MargyMay starts our garden in the greenhouse. We grow PawPaws, figs, watermelons, honeydew melons, tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, green beans, peas, potatoes, blackberries, sweetcorn, basil, strawberries, lettuce, cucumbers, gourds and apples.
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This was our wild bluebird tragedy. Every year, we clean and restore about 40 Bluebird houses. We had a terrible freeze event caused by a wandering polar vortex that dropped temperatures by 30 degrees F below normal. The birds crowded together to stay warm and 23 died together. We cried.
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That's me harvesting tomatoes.
Will Chiles, rockspan farm, tree farm, grow tubes, tree tubes, burr oak, oak grove, grow trees
Will is checking the Grow Tube around a young Burr Oak tree. Note the defenses against all the local deer.
Mark Green, NRCS, forester, USDA, pollinator plot, native insects, grow trees, tree farm, rockspan
We're meeting with our local NRCS representative, Mark Green. We're talking about tree crops, irrigation, pollinator plots and soil health.
pick up black walnuts
Iris picks up several of the zillion black walnuts that fall on our farm each year.
tree farm, walnut trees, black walnut, rockspan farm, grow trees
The Ozarks are the greatest concentration of Black Walnut trees in the world. We have hundreds of giant walnuts on our farm.
Ames Chiles, Rockspan farm, tree farm, build raised bed gardens
Ames is building raised bed gardens in Mysterious Building 137.
elderberries, grow elderberries, tree farm, rockspan farm, berry patch
Elderberries are a native fruit and we grow them in small patches near our flowing water.

Burns to build pollinator plots

The grass known as fescue showed up in the Ozarks after WW2 and was a major turning point for Missouri agriculture.  It made cattle farming practical for sub-par farm land.  But fescue is also an invasive pest that outcompetes native grasses and forbes.  Part of our mission is to reestablish warm season grasses and as much of the original native prairie as practical.  All over the farm, we are planting pollinator plots that we will ring with fence to keep out cattle.  First, however, we need to kill off the existing plants.  Glyphosate is an option but it causes cancer and we're determined to minimize its use.
Corey Robb, Rockspan fire, controlled burn
We wait for calm days with just the right amount of moisture. We burn off small sections so the fire doesn't get out of control.
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We burn with the wind on calm day with plenty of help.
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We use rubber flappers to put out the fire that has escaped borders.
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Burning a forest is different from a field. Physically, it's more challenging.
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Will Chiles, Rockspan farm, controlled burn
Will walks over the burned out fescue. It will come back in weeks, so we have to be persistant.
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We use a a firestarting gadget to get the flames going. Once the fire hits the dry leaves, it takes off...
setting fires at rockspan, fire break
First, we build fire breaks by mowing and setting small fires to contain the bigger blazes.
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managed fire, sustainable fire
We follow the plan during the burn. Make sure our fire lanes are in place. Wind speeds and forest floor dampness are all part of the calculations.

We forage for wild, edible mushrooms

Rockspan Farm is about half forest and half pasture.  We build trails everywhere and we love to hunt wild edible mushrooms.  We harvest morels, chicken-of-the woods, hen-of-the-woods, oysters and lions mane. 
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We practice forest bathing

Spending time in forests is therapeutic and has been recognized as such by professional forest bathing guides like Tamberly Conway of Conservation Conexions.  She spent several days with us on our trails and introduced us to a whole new way of seeing our forests.
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Tamberly leads a small group down a series of forest trails on our first Forest Bathing adventure.
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Upon our return, we chill and discuss what we saw and how we reacted to that experience.
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Our group cooled our heels in the outflow of the large spring.
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Tamberly helps identify plants with her smartphone app.
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On a forest bathing adventure, we perambulate on a slow pace so we don't miss anything.

We rely on local tree and horticulture experts

Trees are complicated and we maintain dozens of interesting tree-related experiments on our farm.  We rely on local experts to counsel us on new ideas and proven practices.  These guys are really special to us.
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Dean Alberty is a world famous tree expert and pollinator for great new technologies to grow trees. He is a good friend and advisor.
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Dr. Alexander Wait is a PhD professor at Missouri State University and an expert on plant and tree biology. We learn important new ideas every time he visits.
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Richard Herman is one of the leading Permaculture experts and practitioners in the Ozarks. We treasure his advice.
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Patrick Byers works for Missouri Extension is one of the leading voices in the Ozarks for sustainable horticulture, tree science and soil health.

Wild Critter management

Nature's top predators are gone now and managing wild animal populations falls to us.  We are a tree farm restoring a vibrant riparian corridor and one of our worst enemies is the beaver.  We protect the trees with wire when we can, but we plant thousands of trees, making screens impractical.  So, periodically we make use of Missouri Department of Conservation to remove overpopulations of beaver from our stretch of the river.  We have the same problem with white tail deer which shred and rub our finest trees to destruction.  So, each year, we put on a deer camp in Building 137 to reduce the herd.  We do our own butchering and processing.
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Brother Mike and I wrap one of our mature Bald Cypress trees. These were planted by our father and are precious to us. Photo by Will Chiles.
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That's me with a 9 point buck. I always inspect the antlers for evidence of tree rubbing.
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David, Jim, Dave, Greg and Tom in our Hunting Cabin and shop, Building 137.
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Josh Wisdom of the Missouri Department of Conservation helps us manage our beaver overpopulation.
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Judge Greg Dorshorst and I have hunted deer together for over 25 years.
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Tom, Jim, Dan, Dave and James during the Pandemic Deer Hunt of 2020.
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This particular beaver killed dozens of our riparian corridor trees.
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This is Tom Chiles with a fine specimen on opening day.
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Jim, Greg, Dan, Dave and Tom on Day 2 of the annual hunt.

Walk the Pokin Tour.  Here's what we'll see...

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The Pokin Tour is named after a local newspaper reporter who wanted a better understanding of what we do here.  The tour covers 33 interesting topics and takes about an hour or so.  You'll see field & forest.  Glade & floodplain.  Living forests & dead fossils.  Welcome to the Ozarks...
Revival of ancient, native fruits
Fowl business
The 13,000 year old village
Rotational grazing
Pollinator plots
Walnuts alone and in community
String-o-ponds
View of the hybrid pecans
View of the hybrid Chandler walnuts
Honey bees at work
Witness the cow forest
Tragic stream bed
The secret ginseng plots
Deer management1
Springfield’s drinking water
Eyewitness to the Revenant
​A living fossil: the ancient Horsetail fern
The Riparian Revival ​


Mussel memory
Demise of the Ash
Deer management 2
9 million gallons going North
Our hydroelectric future
Magnificent Bald Cypress 
The Lake Trail
Entering KarstWorld, 325 million years in the making
The Natural Arch
The Spring and the excavation
The Hobbit trail
Cathedral overview
Extreme rarity: a living Chinquapin (Chestnut)
Karst Window: sinkholes along a joint
Return to civilization and an asphalt polemic

Social life at Rockspan Farm

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We host fundraisers for people who care about our kids future.
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As the planet warms, we hold picnics on gravel bars along the cool spring-fed Sac River.
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Our farm manager, Will is also a tremendous chef. Here he makes pizzas in our wood fired oven.

We serve the community

MSU research, water chemistry, native plants, native fish, rockspan farm, tree farm, stream research
Scientists from Missouri State University test both the Sac River and the Spring for native plants and animals.
Rachel West, native plants, native food, tree farm, rockspan farm, teach kids about plants
Rachel is a native plant/ food specialist. Here she is conducting a class with the local Wolf School, a partnership with Springfield R-12 schools and Bass Pro Shops.
Drury architecture, rockspan farm, architecture tour, tree farm, spillway
An architecture class from Drury University comes by to study land use planning.
Sierra Club, rockspan farm, tree farm, sustainable, green farm
We're members of the local Sierra Club and they came by on a chilly winter day for a walk!
Audubon Society, rockspan farm, tree farm, bird count, sustainable farm
The local Audubon Society likes to visit for their annual bird count and just for fun.
partners for conservation, rockspan farm, sustainable farm, farm visit, tree farm
The Partners for Conservation stopped by to visit during one of their annual conventions in Springfield.

BeeFoster Native Bee Nurseries

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Beestra, native bees, tree farm, bee foster, Plan Bee, raise native bees, sustainable farm
A roof against weather. Metal screen protects against predators. Paper straws are proper length. Special mineral coated paper for waterproofing. Simple attachment. American made in our shop.
Ames Chiles, Beestra, beefoster, native bee nursery, tree farm
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Ames Chiles, native bees, beestra, beefoster, install your beestra, tree farm
The Beestra can be installed easily. Keep it for a year, raise native bees, release them in the spring and then recycle your Beestra.
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This is not your father's bee nursery. Find out what makes the Beestra special.

Suppliers and organizations we work with

SWT design
Tree Pro
DeWitt ground cloth
American biochar
Partners for conservation
USDA
Missouri department of natural resources, MoDNR
Missouri Department of Conservation, MDC
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James River Basin Partnership, JRBP
Drury University
Missouri State University, MSU
University of Missouri extension
Sierra Club
Renew Missouri

About us:

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Will Chiles, Operations Manager

Ybees
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