ROSS FOUNDATION

The Ross Foundation continued its conservation forestry management program in 2019 by incorporating diverse management techniques which included natural stand management, plantation stand management, hardwood management systems, and unique plant and habitat area management. Conservation forestry objectives are centered on the incorporation of these various management components resulting in stand diversity, plant diversity, and habitat diversity throughout all lands owned and managed by The Ross Foundation as charitable assets. To accomplish its mission, The Ross Foundation employs a full-time staff of professional foresters, biologists, and technicians to design, implement, and monitor a comprehensive conservation forestry management program.In 2019, The Ross Foundation incurred $441,147 in expenses related to salaries and benefits for professional staff directly related to the continuation of its conservation forestry program. Additionally, expenses totaling $172,604 were incurred fo

The Ross Foundation's land is available to the public for recreational opportunities. During 2019, recreational users enjoyed various pursuits including hunting, fishing, day hiking, camping, horseback riding, picnicking, mountain bike riding, swimming, backpacking, bird watching, nature study, photography and walking for aerobic activity. During 2019, The Ross Foundation spent $1,083 on materials and $44,359 in salary and benefits for allocated staff time related to public recreation administration and management activities on The Ross Foundation's property.

The Ross Foundation's lands are available for educational and research activities. In 2019, The Ross Foundation conducted environmental education field trips for Henderson State University ecology students and the Arkansas 4-H Wildlife team to expose them, in an outdoor classroom setting, to the principles of the area's local ecology and how those ecological interactions are incorporated into The Ross Foundation's conservation forestry management activities. Also in 2019, The Ross Foundation provided sites for natural history study, native fauna inventory and assessment, and extension outreach with various natural resource agencies and user groups. Additionally, The Ross Foundation assisted researchers with the University of Arkansas at Monticello School of Forestry in monitoring the effects of the Emerald Ash Borer (an invasive beetle that kills ash trees) on tree species succession in bottomland hardwood stands. The Ross Foundation also assisted in evaluating the progress of an opera