LIBERTY, Ind. — WhiteWater Ranch is a family-run agro-forestry operation with more than 100 acres of hardwoods. Owner Rick Moser manages that forest, plus he has a sawmill and does custom sawing. He also manages woodlots for other farmers. His son, Eric, has joined him as a partner since Eric’s return from the Navy.

“I didn’t want it to be just a sawmill business,” Moser said. “I wanted it to be an agro-forestry business.”

Moser has had the sawmill in operation for about 10 years. He saws timber for fencing, trailer decking or barn siding, and posts for pole buildings. Other people use it for porches, interior home trim work, or flooring. 

“Then there are guys that just make furniture,” he explained. “I saw maple or walnut slabs that people make tables out of. We custom-cut whatever people are looking for.”

Moser grew up farming and in the woods with his dad and grandfather. Later he went into information technology and farmed on the side. Eventually, he decided to leave his job and do agro-forestry and the sawmill full-time. He has been working by himself for the last couple of years while his son, Eric, was away in the Navy. 

“We agreed to create WhiteWater Ranch and do this agro-forestry thing, and when he came back, we would be partners,” Moser said.

To get started, Moser had the state foresters come and help him develop a forestry plan. They don’t manage the property, but he uses that plan as a guide. 

The goal when managing a woodlot is to open the canopy by harvesting dead or problem trees, letting the healthy, good trees continue to grow in diameter, Moser said. As the canopy opens and light hits the forest floor, nature kicks off the seedbed, and replacement trees start sprouting.

“You’re trying to find that good balance,” Moser explained. “I had groves on my property that had too much maple, and maple chokes out all of the other species. If I aggressively harvest maple out of there, then the floor gets more light and other species begin to grow, and we get a mixed age and mixed species growing in that area.”

Moser can start to see that the trees in his woodlot are straighter than when he started doing selective cutting, and they’re healthier. He still has a lot of work to do, but he can see the difference, and it’s not obvious that he has harvested trees.

Some of his neighbors liked what they saw him doing with his forest and asked him to manage theirs. This year, he sent out a general letter promoting his forestry work. 

Moser harvests timber from his property two or three times a year. 

“It’s having the plan,” he said. “It is good for wildlife, it is good for deer, all of that.”

Mike Shea has 125 acres of woods, and he is about to sign a contract with Moser. Shea hasn’t harvested any wood from his farm for about 20 years.

“He is going to work with 15 to 20 acres at a time,” Shea said. “He is interested in all species, not just one. He wants some of the cedar;  he’ll take some of the osage orange, cherry, and he is looking at some of the walnut for his mill and for someone who does veneer work.

“What I really liked about him is that he wasn’t just looking for the walnut,” Shea said. “He is not going to go through every inch of the woods and take everything that is of value and leave everything else behind. He will come in and mark the trees, get rid of some of the older ones. Then he will come back next year and do another section, so it is steady income just like your crops — because it is a crop.”

Moser is happy with that, but he still wants to stack in other businesses, like mushrooms, and maybe goats. 

“I love eating mushrooms,” he said. “I got some spawn, and I am starting to inoculate logs. The next step would be to find restaurants or markets, once I feel confident that I can produce enough.”

Also, when you open a forest canopy, invasive plants like multiflora rose and honeysuckle can start to take over. He has used goats to keep them under control, and he may start offering that  service to other farmers. 

To learn more, visit WhiteWater Ranch on Facebook.