Created in 1939 when President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed it into existence, the Mark Twain National Forest (MTNF) is Missouri’s only national forest.
Preserving 1,500,000 acres in the southern part of the Show-Me State, the MTNF occupies parts of more counties than any other national forest, with acreage in 29 counties. Oregon County tops that list with about 105,000 acres, while Texas County ranks 17th with close to 50,000.
Headquartered in Rolla, the MTNF is made up of 11 geographically separate pieces of land, which are divided into six different ranger districts. The 207,000-acre Houston/Rolla/Cedar Creek district is split into two units — Cedar Creek to the North of Interstate 44 and Houston/Rolla to the south — and covers parts of seven counties (Boone, Callaway, Laclede, Phelps, Pulaski, Texas and Wright). The district’s main offices are on South Sam Houston Blvd. in Houston.
While sizeable, the MTNF is far from being the largest national forest. That distinction goes to the 17-million-acre Tongass National Forest, which covers most of Alaska’s panhandle.
Overseeing operation in the Houston/Rolla/Cedar Creek district of the MTNF is District Ranger Kimberly Bittle, who came here about 10 months ago after holding a similar position with the United States Forest Service (a division of the United States Department of Agriculture) at Alabama’s Talladega National Forest.
“We manage the public lands for the people of the United States,” Bittle said. “We’re here to serve the people.”
Many species of trees can be found on MTNF land. Some are being assisted in making a comeback of sorts, like black oak.
“They’re dying out since they’ve basically outlived their life spans,” Bittle said, “so we’re trying to go in and salvage what wood we can and letting the regeneration process start a new stand of trees.”
Several stands of short-leaf pine (Missouri’s only native pine) also grow in the MTNF; the locale marks the species’ northernmost point of growth.
Among the numerous recreational opportunities found within the Houston/Rolla/Cedar Creek District are four developed campgrounds, including Lane Spring in Phelps County, and several more primitive sites, such as Paddy Creek in Texas County.
The district features three rivers suitable for boating, fishing, floating other water activities: the Big Piney, the Little Piney and the Gasconade. There are also six developed recreation areas, as well as more than 80 miles of multi-use trails, some of which follow a portion of the Trail of Tears.
The MTNF is known for having some of the best wild turkey hunting in the country and for streams that feature top-notch rainbow trout fishing.
“There are just a lot of opportunities for people who like outdoor activities,” Bittle said.
Within Texas County, there are even a few historic landmarks on MTNF land. Included is the Kofahl Farmstead (a.k.a. the Sudheimer property) overlooking the Big Piney River. A log home and a couple of barns on the property are constructed of hand-hewn square logs from the mid-1800s to early 1900s.
“With the help of volunteers and other groups, we hope to restore them and open them to the public for their enjoyment, and to keep the history and culture of the county alive,” Bittle said.
The MTNF is involved in various forms of timber management (including prescribed burning), wildlife habitat enhancement and even grazing allotment programs on designated pasture land. One ongoing timber restoration project within the district is taking place in the Kaintuck area of Laclede and Phelps counties, while a portion of the Cedar Creek unit is the site of a prairie restoration program.
“We’re excited about that,” Bittle said. “We want to remove the cedar and better establish the native plants that are still there to get the area back to its natural prairie state.”
The MTNF is home to 19 designated natural areas and seven wilderness areas, including the 7,060-acre Paddy Creek Wilderness in northern Texas County. A wilderness area is defined as a tract of land at least 2,000 acres in size in which all machinery and mechanical equipment is prohibited. No cars, ATVs or other vehicles are allowed – not even bicycles. The only access is by foot or horse.
“You’re supposed to have that serene, wilderness experience out in the middle of nowhere,” Bittle said. “The only people you’ll encounter are hikers or horseback riders.”
Natural areas are state-designated lands featuring specific ecosystems or other natural characteristics that aren’t necessarily found in the surrounding landscape.
The MTNF maintains several forms of community involvement and partners with several local organizations. The Texas County Sheriff’s Department regularly patrols MTNF property, and Bittle’s district is involved with the Houston Area Chamber of Commerce.
“We like to do a lot of programs for the local schools in Texas County,” Bittle said. “We provide fire prevention information, and we do job-shadowing with the high school and the middle school, which allows students to see what life is like working for the forest service.”
The MTNF also partners with the Missouri Department of Conservation and helps coordinate annual river clean-up days.
“Any time we can help take care of the national forest, that’s a good thing,” Bittle said.
Texas County volunteer fire departments are important to the MTNF, offering their services whenever necessary.
“They’ve been very helpful in fire-suppression situations in the past,” Bittle said.
Funding for the MTNF comes from appropriations by Congress and timber sales. Bittle’s district employs 25 people, but also relies on volunteers who provide many valuable hours or work.
“We do what we can with what we’re given,” Bittle said. “But we couldn’t do what we do without the volunteer base.”
Unlike most national forests where public land is continuous within a certain area, many parts of the MTNF are made up of a checkerboard-like series of interspersed public and private properties. But the USDA is always on the lookout for ways of obtaining new territory, and keeps an especially keen eye on land where river frontage, rare species or historic buildings might be preserved.
“Of course, it can be a long process,” Bittle said. “But we are always interested in purchasing land when the situation is right.”
The district ranger station in Houston is made up of several limestone buildings that were constructed by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s and 1940s and are on the national register of historic buildings. The public is welcome to visit the station and take in the atmosphere of their unusual exteriors and detailed, wooden interiors.
“We take a lot of pride in these buildings,” Bittle said. “We know it’s pretty unique for us to have them and they add a lot of character to the community.”
Information about the MTNF can be obtained by visiting the ranger station in Houston, calling 417-967-4194 or logging onto www.fs.usda.gov/mtnf.
Updated at 9:32 a.m. Saturday, May 7, to reflect the district that Kim Bittle oversees.
–Approximately 50% of the land within the MTNF’s administrativeboundaries is privately owned.
–Home to Greer Spring (in Oregon County), the U.S. ForestService’s largest natural spring and the second largest spring inMissouri. It doubles the water flow into the Eleven Point NationalScenic River.
–Includes seven Congressionally-designated WildernessAreas.
–Contains three of the state’s four streams where rainbow troutnaturally reproduce: Mill Creek, Spring Creek and Little Piney.
–Has 160 miles of motorized ATV/motorcycle trails.