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Forest Legacy, LLC

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Ollie, IA
Forest Legacy, LLC

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Forest Legacy LLC is an independent forest management firm serving landowners in IA, IL & MO.

10/27/2026

We've been a little quiet on here the past month because we welcomed another little boy into our family and have been adjusting to life as a family of 4! We are so grateful that little Mason Earl Widner is finally here. The annual photo of Cody with his buck just keeps getting better as we add more boys (and maybe a little girl someday) into the picture. But since he hasn't shot one yet this season, here is a family photo that we had taken a couple of weeks ago.

A family portrait seems like a good opportunity to re-introduce ourselves to those who aren't familiar with our family company.

Cody graduated from Purdue University with a Bachelor of Science in Forestry. Cassidy did as well (that's where they met) and also earned a Bachelor of Science in Wildlife. We both have close to 10 years of forestry experience under our belts, including working for/with the Army Corp of Engineers, NWTF, urban forestry, the logging industry, Purdue Forestry and Natural Resources Dept, private forestry consulting companies, IN & IA Dept of Natural Resources, and others. Cody started Forest Legacy LLC in 2021. I was working as a District Forester for the IA Department of Natural Resources at the time, and finding two forestry positions in the same location proved difficult. Starting his own business was a way for us to be together. I stepped away from the DNR when our fist son was born in 2024 and have enjoyed supporting our family company full time since. Our goal with the company from the start has been to serve landowners & steward land. We chose the natural resources field because we both have a passion for conserving those natural resources and to see that passion turn into a business that supports our family is such a blessing that I do not take for granted!

09/25/2026

It can be hard for people to cut an oak tree, and understandably so. They are widely known as the most valuable or some of the most valuable tree species for wildlife and pollinators as well as being valuable from a timber production viewpoint as well. But more is not always better. If a forest is overstocked:
- The oaks are not growing as fast as they could be
- The oaks are having to focus their energy into out competing their neighbors instead of putting on good acorn crops
- Less desirable species may be outcompeting the oak trees
- The forest is more susceptible to pests and diseases
- The forest floor has minimal browse and cover for wildlife due to shaded conditions.

But when a forest is thinned correctly, those conditions are reversed by:
- maximizing the growth, health, and vigor of the released trees
- increasing mast production for wildlife and tree regeneration
- improving the species quality
- increasing resiliency to pests and diseases
- increasing sunlight to the forest floor, allowing for more herbaceous growth.

And what about the oak trees that were cut during the thinning operation? A 2019 study (https://fwf.tennessee.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2020/07/Effects-of-fertilization-and-thinning-FEM-2018.pdf) found that roughly 70% of the acorns are coming from 30-40% of the trees. So when you cut the poorer quality, less dominant oak trees, you are likely not losing any acorn production from those trees. That same study found that releasing the crowns of the white oaks increased acorn production from 47-65%. And instead of those trees mainly just taking up space and creating shade, by cutting them you are actually turning them into an excellent source of wildlife browse in the form of stump sprouts (see attached photos). Deer go crazy for these stump sprouts and they typically produce well for at least a few years before the root system become depleted. There is also a saying that "a dead tree is more alive than a live tree," referencing the fact that a snag (a standing dead tree) can support an extraordinary amount of wildlife (think birds, bats, insects, fungi, reptiles, etc) in the form of food, nesting and roosting sites, and other habitat. And once the tree falls to the ground, it continues to provide habitat while decomposing and returning nutrients to the soil.

So while the thought of cutting an oak tree can be disheartening at first, hopefully this provides some insight as to why it can be a great way to steward a forest! With that said, it is important to always make sure you work with a professional forester when considering a thinning operation or any other kind of forest management.

If you have any questions or are interested in finding out if your forest is overstocked and in need of management, please reach out to us!

09/17/2026

Cody first began work on this private property in 2024. It was already a beautiful piece of 40 acres, with 17 acres of mature oak timber, 11 acres of younger central hardwoods, a 30+ year old 9 acre tree planting, and 3 acres of open land that had been filled in by red cedar.

The mature oak stand had a timber sale conducted roughly 15 years prior. It was marked and facilitated by a forester so the lower quality, declining trees were selected for sale and the healthier higher quality trees were left. But, there was no pre or post harvest management done so the understory became thick with small pole sized cherry, elm, hickory, and ironwood with an occasional suppressed oak. Some of the residual mature oak are declining so it was the highest priority to remove the understory to allow sunlight to the forest floor to support natural oak regeneration. That was done in the fall of '24. A prescribed burn was done this spring to knock back any invasives trying to take advantage of the sunlight and also to give any young oak seedlings the upper hand. As you can see from the photo, the oak timber is looking gorgeous with all the mature trees in full display with the understory gone and the forest floor teeming with native species for wildlife browse (before the understory removal the forest floor was almost bare due to full shade). Now we will continue to monitor the oak regeneration.

The 3 acres of open ground was impenetrable with 6+ feet tall invasive Autumn olive and the native but weedy red cedar. That area saw forestry mulching and cut stump work in '24 with follow up spot spraying in '25 and '26. It is unrecognizable today, with goldenrod showing off their yellow fall colors and numerous other natives mixed in with them. What was a food desert just a couple of years ago is now a native oasis enjoyed by countless pollinator and wildlife species! And no seeding was required, once the invasives were out of the way and a prescribed burn went through, the native seed bank took right back over, which is always so cool to see!

Not pictured is the thinning work done in the tree planting but that is looking great. It should have been thinned about a decade ago but thankfully the white oak in the planting were still vigorous enough that they will respond well to the release.

Now that the highest priority work is completed, we will be writing another NRCS plan for this property to do some work in the younger central hardwood stands as well as some maintenance work in the early successional habitat and mature oak timber.

As always, so grateful for the work we get to be a part of!

09/01/2026

Pictured here is what used to be a sea of invasive Japanese barberry. What may have looked “pretty” this fall with the vibrant colors it would’ve had is certainly not so. Invasive plants like this have a devastating impact on our native plant communities. Left untreated they will dominate the understory of a forest and will outcompete and displace the natives that our focal wildlife species benefit greatly from. Severe infestations can take numerous follow up entries (like what we’re doing here) to get the amount of stems present down to a level where they aren’t at a stage that is detrimental to the plant community. The amount of labor and time it takes can be hard to fathom at times but the results are always worth it in the end!

08/14/2026

Last Friday was our summer intern's (Jack) last day with us. We sure missed him this week but we're excited for him as he heads back to ISU to complete his Junior year. I looked back at our schedule and he helped us complete 430 acres of invasive species control in the timber and 60 acres of invasive species control in the prairie. This was completed across 21 different properties, 17 private land and 4 public. We would not be close to that much work being done by this time had it not been for his help! Most of the work was done with backpack sprayers and a large UTV sprayer but he got some chainsaw experience as well. He also got to mark a timber sale, job shadow a DNR wildlife unit, tag along on a couple of landowner site visits, and meet a DNR District Forester. We were so grateful to have his hard work and positive attitude for the summer and we wish him the best of luck as he continues forward with his career!

07/28/2026

We are excited to be part of this field day coming up in early September! Becky's family farm is full of great & unique examples of active forest, prairie, and wetland stewardship. If you are local to the area, we hope to see you there!

07/16/2026

You know there's a timber sale about to become open to buyers when this is your stack of outgoing mail for the day! 🌳

If you have any questions about timber sales and/or appraisals, please reach out to us!

07/15/2026

Another day, another spray!

The crew has been getting it done in the heat this week! Summer invasive species work is probably the most grueling work of the year. The heat, the ticks & mosquitos, the thorns, the herbicide exposure..... all add up to some very hot and tired men. And ironically, for being the most difficult work, we also usually see the smallest profit margins during summer invasive season. So, why do we do it anyway? Because it is an essential conservation practice for sound forest management. Invasive species can prevent tree regeneration (esp. oaks), severely degrade wildlife & pollinator habitat quality, reduce diversity, lower aesthetics, and reduce recreational opportunities. So while the guys usually get home tired, bug bitten, scratched up from thorns, and ready to stay in the AC until doing it all over again the next day....there is always the satisfaction of a job well done. They're making a difference out there, one acre at a time!

07/14/2026

New service unlocked! 🔓

I (Cassidy) am now certified to write forest management plans for the NRCS (Natrual Resource Conservation Service) through their TSP (Technical Service Provider) program. This means I can work directly with landowners who want to seek funding to manage their forests for wildlife habitat, timber production, forest health, etc. It's a fun, full circle moment for me because I spent 3.5 years as a district forester with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources doing just that! The photo below was taken in my office as district forester during my first year on the job. I was so excited to show my mom and dad where I worked. I loved my job, especially meeting and working with landowners, building relationships with them and learning from them as I helped teach them about forest management. I really thought I would spend my career there but once I got pregnant with our son, I knew that stepping away from the workforce to be with our children all day every day was what was best for our family. I haven't regretted that decision for a single second (and it's been almost 2 years now!), but it is exciting to be able to offer this service to landowners that we work with through Forest Legacy LLC.

Next step will be getting Cody certified so that he can do the field & office work for management plans while I will be home with a newborn in a couple of months!

07/13/2026

The timber sale that Cody and Jack marked in early June has closed and the results are in for the 199 trees (33 walnut and the rest mainly pallet) from high to low: $56,100, $54,000, $48,985, $39,000, $34,500, $17,105, $9,000.

Services we provide when facilitating a timber sale include:
🪵a site visit where we discuss your goals, questions, how the process works, etc
🪵marking the trees that will be for sale in a way that meets your objectives
🪵sending a volume summary with an estimate of what the sale should go for to you for approval prior to sending out the sale
🪵sending the notice of timber for sale to all the local timber buyers in the area via mail and email
🪵advising you once the bid closes on whether to accept any bids
🪵providing a contract between you and the logger stipulating timelines, payment plans (you will always be paid in full prior to a chainsaw starting)
🪵inspecting the site post harvest to ensure no property damage was done and that the contract was fulfilled
🪵advise on pre/post harvest management and funding opportunities if interested.
🪵providing a timber basis that you can turn into your accountant to save you money on taxes!!

If you have any questions or are interested in having your timber appraised or marked for sale, please reach out to us!

Address

104 Main Street
Ollie, IA
52576

Opening Hours

Monday	7am - 5pm
Tuesday	7am - 5pm
Wednesday	7am - 5pm
Thursday	7am - 5pm
Friday	7am - 5pm

Telephone

+15745810090

Website

http://forestlegacyllc.com/

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