George O. White State Forest Nursery employee Kathy Bates, center, and Mike Fiaoni, right, nursery supervisor, were presented a 75-year Honor Institution Award from Tom Olsen of the National Weather Service in Springfield. The nursery began daily weather observations starting April 1, 1949. Since 1947, the nursery at Licking has offered Missouri residents seedlings for reforestation, windbreaks, erosion control and wildlife habitat. The nursery began in the 1930s, soon after Missouri’s national forests had been designated. At that time, thousands of forest acres needed restoration, and it would take millions of seedlings to do it. A young forester, George O. White, went to Texas County to inspect a possible site for the nursery. White found the property well suited for growing shortleaf pine seedlings, and it was centrally located within Missouri’s national forests. The original nursery property was 40 acres and had about 15 acres of seedbeds. Over the years, several acquisitions increased the size of the nursery. Today, the total acreage of the nursery is 754 acres, with 50 acres of seedbeds. (National Weather Service)

Isaiah Buse has served as the publisher of the Houston Herald since 2023. He started with the organization in 2019, and achieved a bachelor's degree in business administration in 2023. He serves on the...

Leave a comment

Leave a Reply