Meet a Tree Farmer: The Youngblood Family
It's All About Diversity
Lee Youngblood has a passion for the land – a life-long love of nature and wildlife that he instilled in his children as they grew into adulthood and one that he is inspiring in his grandchildren today.
The Youngblood family property in rural Alabama is a mosaic of forests and flatland. Mixed hardwood stands run alongside tracts of pine seedlings just a few years in the ground. Clusters of white oak and cherry bark oak stand side-by-side with great swathes of Alabama pine. Wildflowers sprout up next to patches of wheat, oat and clover planted to provide nourishment for game and fowl.
A veterinarian by training and trade, Lee fosters diversity to create healthy habitats. On one part of the property, hickory, tupelo poplar and other species are amassing into a hardwood hillside. Their limbs and leaves will one day grow into an overstory. This natural canopy will deny sun to the untamed underbrush, clearing the ground for deer, turkey and other wildlife to make their way through the woodlands. Another part of the property shows a succession of pine trees that are home to owls, jay birds and songbirds.
Not long after the grandkids came along, so did a pond and pier. Land too alkaline for growing pine trees became the ideal spot for a fishing hole – the perfect place to cast a line and share a story on a cool sunny afternoon. A stone’s throw from the water’s edge sits a rustic cabin, which is the hub of activity for family and friends throughout the year.
For the Youngbloods, life revolves around family and the land is central to family life. For four generations, land has provided financial security for their growing family. During the same time, it has served as a place for recreation and a source of enjoyment. Because of their care for the land, it will remain a natural legacy for generations to come.