Auburn forestry students come "full circle"

For the past 15 years, third-generation forest landowners, Gail Jones and her husband Phillip, of Andalusia, Alabama, have felt called upon to support and inspire Auburn University forestry students.

During the last weeks of the College of Forestry, Wildlife and Environment's (CFWE) forestry practicum held each summer at the Solon Dixon Forestry Education Center in Andalusia, the rising juniors visit the Jones' property, Full Circle Farm, located in western Covington County. Here, the students take part in a tour of the Joneses’ 166-acre farm and enjoy a homestyle meal, breaking bread and gaining sage words of advice from landowners and agency pros that may likely shape their future careers.

"We try to encourage them, but I guess they encourage us as well, because we see the future of what forestry can be and that they represent that hope," said Gail Jones.

Inspired by their lifelong love of learning, Gail Jones, an educator, and Philip Jones, an accountant, have benefited from programs offered by Alabama Extension and the Alabama Forestry Commission (AFC). They also engage other experts and forestry consultants for guidance, who have helped the Joneses with their decision to preserve the property, returning it "full circle" from row-cropped fields to cattle pasture, and back to longleaf pine savannah.  

Giving back and paying forward

The Joneses have a profound sense of gratitude to the people and agencies who have helped them manage their property over the years, and a growing concern that there is a dwindling pipeline of forestry professionals to assist small-scale private landowners like themselves.

This concern led Philip Jones to propose an idea to his wife. He said, “We're the only forestry committee with the Dixon Center in our backyard, and we're not doing anything to encourage students. We need to do something. They come, and they get this wonderful hands-on experience, but we also need to recognize what they're doing and to encourage them.”

Philip Jones, who is a member and now president of the Solon and Martha Dixon Foundation Board, reached out to Joel Martin, the newly hired director of Auburn University's Solon Dixon Forestry Education Center, to propose their plan. During the final week of the CFWE's summer forestry practicum experience, the pair agreed that Martin would bring the students to Full Circle Farm, where the couple could meet the students before the conclusion of the immersive nine-week program.

Martin feels it’s essential that the students understand the diverse needs and goals of private landowners, large and small, and appreciates that they can gain this perspective from their visit to the Joneses’ farm.

“Everything about a private landowner's property is special to them, and that's what these students have to realize,” said Martin. “It doesn't matter if they own five acres or 5,000; that property is their heart and soul.”