Dr. Walt McPhail
Ceaseless Advocate for Sustainable Forestry
Dr. Walt McPhail of Anderson County, S.C, earned his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree from the University of Georgia then served in the U.S. Army until his discharge in 1971. Since that time he has owned a veterinary practice in Mauldin, where he focuses on household pets and small animals. He has been a leader in the veterinary community for more than 30 years serving on many associations, including a stint as president of the South Carolina Association of Veterinarians in 1993. In 2000 he was named the South Carolina State Veterinarian of the Year. Dr. McPhail’s veterinary practice has afforded him the opportunity to enjoy his real passion of land ownership, forestry and nature conservancy.
We met Walt for lunch at Grits and Groceries, a local restaurant located in an old country store at Saylors Crossroads, the junction of Highways 284 and 185, in Anderson County. It’s a favorite of his and, as he says, “It may be in the middle of nowhere, but it’s only nine miles from everywhere,” meaning Anderson, Greenwood, Mauldin and his home town of Belton – the territory he roams every day. Owners Heidi and Joe Trull thrill those looking for “real food, done real good” with a bit of New Orleans flavor added to their country cookin’. People from miles around come here to gather around the large outdoor picnic table and pig out for lunch every day but Sunday. On the day we visited, we were no exception. We talked as we stuffed ourselves with pecan-encrusted bacon appetizers, tomato pie and sweet potato stew. The restaurant has been featured in Southern Living and is absolutely worth the drive – from wherever you are coming.
After lunch we got down to the real reason for our visit – to learn more about Dr. McPhail’s love of the land and his involvement and leadership in the timber industry. He has a deep passion for improving conservation practices and ensuring the sustainability of our forests and wildlife. He comes by his interest naturally. His father was a soil conservationist and taught him to love and respect the land at any early age.
Walt still owns property near Belton that has been in his family since 1850. The old family homestead still exists much as it has for more than 150 years. Walt says the property, which is now a tree farm, was once a land of cotton as far as the eye could see. It also once supported sustenance crops that fed the families living and working on the farm.
The original property consisted of 350 acres. During the depression it supported the McPhails and four sharecropper families. “Even when the economy fails, you can always count on the land,” he says. After Walt’s grandfather died, the property was divided among various family members. Dr. McPhail inherited a portion of the property and still manages the rest for his family. Over the years his love of the land and commitment to preserve it for future generations has encouraged him to add to the family farm. Walt now owns 1,600 acres of carefully managed forestland and manages another 1,200 acres for his family and partners.
In 1991 Walt founded the Greenville Forestry & Wildlife Society, a group of like-minded individuals who seek to educate the public and each other about the virtues of forestry and conservation practices. He also spends many days traversing his property, marking with a paint gun the trees he wants to keep while unmarked trees are targeted for harvest. He says that over the years he has walked every acre of the 2,800 acres he owns or manages.
Inspection of his property reveals more than just a casual love of the land. In fact, the farm is more of a laboratory where test plots demonstrate the benefits of fertilization or burning versus chemical use to control undergrowth. Other plots demonstrate the value of different thinning and planting techniques. Dr. McPhail has also experimented with different tree varieties that are typically developed by selecting and breeding trees with the best growth and production characteristics. He even has one stand of tree clones which represent the latest in forestry technology.
Another conservation initiative on Dr. McPhail’s farm included establishing ponds, wetlands and wetland flora to nurture and attract water fowl and other wildlife. These artificial wetlands include apparatus that allows them to be drained for planting then re-flooded. In addition to conservation benefits there are financial rewards. Walt leases these areas to hunters who shoulder the annual expense and responsibility of planting grain crops to feed and attract water fowl. These facilities do not just provide for hunting: they also provide habitat to support and feed wildlife year round. According to Walt, “Leasing a portion of my land for hunting has been a profitable business. Additionally, conservation improvements have brought a new vitality back to the land.” These improvements were made possible in part by funds available in the Farm Bill of 1996. That Dr. McPhail was aware of this program and how it could benefit his land underscores the value of being “student of the game,” a knowledgeable and active land manager.
If you are not already convinced of Dr. McPhail’s passion for the land, wildlife and nature, in addition to managing his own forest he is also a site coordinator for Clemson’s Master Tree Farmer and Master Wildlifer programs. He has been the S.C. State Tree Farmer of the Year, Southern Regional Tree Farmer of the Year and recipient of the BASF National Sustainable Forestry Award for outstanding leadership in forestry. He currently serves as president of the Greenville County Forestry and Wildlife Society and serves on the Clemson University Forestry Advisory Committee, the S.C. Tree Farm Committee, the S.C. Forestry Association Board, the Forest Landowner Association Board, NRCS State Technical Committee, the Tree Farm National Operating Committee and is chairman of the American Tree Farm System National Political Action Committee. Many people are willing to “talk the talk,” but Dr. McPhail “walks the walk,” as he devotes approximately 30 days a year volunteering for these groups.
When asked how he manages to stay active in all of his memberships, sit on the boards and still manage more than 2,800 acres, he says simply that, “You find time to do what you want to do.” His weekly schedule, he jokes, includes spending “five or six days in the woods and four or five days in the veterinary office.” This leaves little time for idle pursuits, but after spending a little time with Walt, you become convinced that he would not have it any other way. Besides his own commitment, there is another reason why he can accomplish so much, a “secret weapon,” so to speak. His wife Barbara is his “right-hand man.” Keeping up with Dr. McPhail, performing secretarial duties for the Forestry & Wildlife Society, assisting in bookkeeping for this group and the veterinary hospital, and being in charge of communication and other administrative duties sounds like a full time job. Even with all of her administrative duties working with her husband, Barbara still finds time for her “real” job as a speech therapist for the Greenville County School System.
Walt has shared his love of the land not only with others in the forestry industry but with his daughters, Fran, 25, and Jane, 24. He hopes they will one day take over management of the property, and they certainly have the credentials to do so. While Fran is a social worker in Hickory, Jane just finished the “summer from hell” at Clemson University, a program where she learned many of the skills required in forest management. This program entailed a summer working in the forest experiencing the heat, mosquitoes, bugs and everything else that comes with being a forester. She’ll eventually determine whether the experience was one she cares to repeat regularly as manager of the family’s timberland. At a minimum, the training will help prepare her to be the next custodian of the McPhail family forest. As Walt says, “McPhails don’t sell land. Period.” He plans for the property to remain in the family, whether or not the girls are actively engaged in its management.
Advocacy comes easy to Walt. He enjoys talking about forestry and conservation as evidenced by the time he spent with us. Our tour of his property took the better part of a day, and Walt was as passionate at the end as when we started. He says that owning property is its own reward and his greatest hope is to leave the land in better shape for the next generation. His philosophy is much the same as AgSouth’s in that regard. “We need to use the land as God intended,” he explains, “not abuse it. That’s what conservation is all about. When you cut down trees, you make way for more trees.”
Walt will preach his philosophy to anyone, anywhere, anytime. He makes his property available as a forestry classroom for elementary school groups and others to expand the causes of conservation, forestry and love and appreciation of nature. Forestry obviously runs in the family. Dr. McPhail’s sister, Mary Standaert, obtained her Masters Degree in Forestry from Yale University. An excursion with her colleagues recently resulted in an impromptu tour of the McPhail “forestry laboratory.” Walt says that, “When you’re passionate about something, that excitement shows and you ignite the flame in others.” With this belief and its resulting actions, Walt McPhail will leave behind a valuable legacy. The forestry industry, the land, wildlife and the ideals of conservation will forever benefit from his life and passion.
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