Jim Watson and Carol Bibler were selected as Montana Outstanding Tree Farmers of the Year for 2022. Their nomination was forwarded to National Tree Farm, where they quickly became finalists for the Western Regional Tree Farmers. In summer 2023, they were visited by two members of the National Tree Farm program to evaluate activity records, management plans, and tour the tree farm properties. Jim and Carol were chosen as the Western Regional winners to compete against finalists from New England, the Midwest and the Southern States. Unfortunately, they were not selected to be National Outstanding Tree Farmer of the Year. Montana Tree Farm System is proud of all that Jim and Carol have accomplished on their forested acres. The following article honors them and outlines the reasons they were selected:

Jim Watson and Carol Bibler holding their Tree Farmers of the Year sign amidst snow and chilly weather.

Jim and Carol moved onto Spring Brook Ranch in the summer of 2001. Carol’s late father, Sam Bibler, assembled the 1,000-acre property starting in 1992 and placed the property under permanent conservation easement with Montana Land Reliance. This is a working ranch; although they no longer raise bison, they continue to raise Tibetan Yak for breeding stock and a local meat market. They supply forest products to local mills and for personal use. They have worked tirelessly to have a healthy, fire-safe, sustainably managed forest with a strong wildlife and recreation component.

In January 2019, Carol and Jim purchased another 640 acres of commercial timberland, across the road from Spring Brook Ranch. “Section One” is old railroad land grant property that has always been managed commercially. They developed a Tree Farm management plan with assistance from two consulting foresters and began implementing the plan in 2022. As peer mentors with Montana Tree Farm, they hosted a Tree Farm field trip in spring of 2022 before beginning forestry work, and again in spring 2023 to observe pre-commercial thinning (PCT), a mechanical harvesting crew, and masticator thinning.

Jim was raised on a large farm and after a career as a mechanical engineer, he embraced the tenets of active forest management. Recognizing his lack of knowledge and skills, he contacted forester Mark Boardman, of F.H. Stoltze Land and Lumber Company. Mark introduced Jim to Tree Farm and the Montana Forest Stewardship program, resulting in their first Tree Farm forest management plan in April 2003. That plan has since undergone four revisions, including two formal inspections by American Tree Farm System (ATFS).

Both properties were high-grade harvested in the past and due to this history, Jim and Carol’s focus has been on restoration forestry with a strong emphasis on wildlife and enabling a healthy, vibrant forest to recover from a “take the best” harvest mess. They actively sought financial assistance from state and federal programs, and guidance from Tree Farm and private foresters. Jim is a regular at workshops, field days and mini-college events, frequently questioning the experts and hosting field trips on their property. Jim has been involved with the Montana Tree Farm Steering Committee and Montana Forest Stewardship Foundation for many years and was awarded Montana Tree Farm Educator of the Year (2015) and Montana Tree Farmer of the year (2022).

A group of people on a property filled with green trees.

Jim and Carol raised their son on this property, and he was able to enjoy a wonderful childhood while they instilled values that will help him manage this land for the next generation. They love their property and spend most of their days out enjoying it through work and play.

They have built a multi-use, all season trail system on both properties that is used for hiking, horse riding and cross-country skiing. Section One is open to the neighborhood for non-motorized recreation. The trails see almost daily visitors year-round. Jim grooms around five miles of ski track on the ranch property. He erected a wall tent with a wood stove on the highest peak of the Section One property that is used as a warming hut by neighborhood visitors, with plans to replace it with a small log cabin made from logs harvested from that very mountain. Jim and Carol are avid horse riders and love scouting their forest from the saddle. Jim has even started doing some small-scale logging with horses.

Jim is a veteran Montana Hunter Education Instructor. They host hunter education classes on the ranch property each year and provide hunting opportunities to beginning hunters. Jim often volunteers to mentor youth in learning to hunt and properly care for harvested meat. Numerous “first deer” have been taken on the ranch. They host an annual bird dog field trial competition as well. The Section One property has been hunted by immediate neighbors for decades, who continue to have access and help patrol the property.

Congratulations to Jim and Carol for winning the Western Regional Tree Farmers of the Year award in 2022.