For Jerry and Portia Brown, Tree Farming is a family tradition that stretches back seven decades. Grayson Woods, the Brown family’s original Tree Farm, was purchased by Portia’s mother in 1947 and became one of the earliest Tree Farms in Kentucky, enrolling in 1955. When Portia inherited the property in 1993, she and Jerry took on the responsibility of continuing that legacy while developing their own vision for a well-managed forest. 

The Browns expanded their forestry efforts with the purchase of a second property in nearby Shelby County in the late 1990s and enrolling that parcel in the Tree Farm System in 2001. Today, the two properties are managed for sustainable timber production with a multi-use mindset. 

Their approach to forestry is active and long-term. At Grayson Woods, recent midstory control has focused on releasing desirable oak regeneration, building on years of crop tree release and post-harvest stand improvement. The Browns have worked to improve species composition rather than simply letting the forest develop on its own, favoring quality oaks and walnut. Early pine plantation harvests have also been followed by successful natural hardwood regeneration, creating new stands with greater potential for long-term timber value. 

On the Shelby County Farm, prescribed fire is used to maintain native warm-season grasses and pollinator habitat. The Browns have seen their Tree Farms withstand ice storms and wildfire. At Grayson Woods, access roads designed as firebreaks successfully helped stop a fire in 2017. 

The Browns believe their Tree Farms should be a place where people can learn. Their Shelby County property has hosted countless landowner field days and conservation groups including Kentucky Woodland Stewards, White Oak Initiative meetings, Wild Ones events and prescribed fire training with The Nature Conservancy. Through more than two decades with the Kentucky Woodland Owners Association, Portia has even served as president, they have also shared their experiences with hundreds of other woodland owners. 

For Jerry and Portia, stewardship means both caring for the forest they inherited and preparing it for those who will come after them. They are carrying forward a Tree Farm tradition that began in 1955, while their work demonstrates how thoughtful management can improve a forest over time. Their legacy is not simply a healthy forest—it is a commitment to keep learning, keep managing, and helping other landowners do the same.