Reifsnider Forest Natural Area
Wild Turkey
The Reifsnider White Oak Natural Area supports a nearly pure, even-aged stand of 100-120 year old white oak trees along with the other plants and animals that live in this type of forest. The trees are growing on Lindley soil which has developed under oak-hickory forest vegetation from glacial till parent material. Soils of this type often support woods that are 80 percent or more white oak.
White oak is a shade-intolerant species, requiring an open area for new trees to become established. This particular stand of white oak probably started after a clear-cut shortly after the Civil War. The trees may have been cut for mine props and railroad ties which helped push the tracks westward across the Great Plains. The new forest was burned periodically by wildfires and grazed by livestock as open range. The young white oak woods developed under these conditions.
Light grazing continued until about 20 years ago. There have been no wildfires in this woods for the last 40 years. Since white oak lives well past 300 years the trees in this Natural Area are likely to be around for our nation's Quatracentennial Celebration even though they are already mature and of marketable size and quality.
It was not until 1854 that the first land patent was issued for the hills at the headwaters of Charrette Creek. In 1886 Frank Reifsnider, a Union veteran and entrepreneur from Ohio, and his cousin, Joseph Hoover of Kansas City, bought this land as a place on which to get away from business cares and to enjoy nature.
After his death Frank's daughter, Bertha Reifsnider, inherited the property. In 1965 Bertha donated the land to the Department of Conservation for use as a state forest. Unlike many of Missouri's forests, the woods on this property had been carefully protected during the 73 years of Reifsnider ownership. When the Department of Conservation established a Natural Areas System on its land in 1971, the Reifsnider White Oak Natural Area became one of the first units of that system.
The trees themselves are the most noticeable feature of this Natural Area, but the forest ecosystem is made up of much more than trees alone. This small forest community contains over 100 kinds of plants and a great number of animals interacting with each other, the soil, and the atmosphere. A lucky visitor may see a wild turkey, deer, or gray fox. In the spring the showy wildflowers such as phlox, bloodroot, and Dutchman's breeches carpet the ground. The white flowers of serviceberry and later dogwood share the stage with brilliantly colored warblers journeying north to their breeding territory. A few of them such as the Kentucky warbler and ovenbird end their trek and nest here in the state forest. Other summer birds include the striking summer tanager, the red-eyed vireo, blue-gray gnatcatcher, and wood pewee.
In the fall the warblers once again pass through the Natural Area, this time on their way south and in less conspicuous plumage. Fall also brings the foliage display, although other portions of the Reifsnider State Forest are more colorful and scenic than the Natural Area itself. Charrette Creek is especially beautiful in the autumn and a walk along this creek would be a worthwhile side trip for those visiting the Natural Area.
On your walk through the White Oak Natural Area you may notice that the area does not seem particularly scenic or extraordinary. This is true of many Natural Areas, for their purpose is to represent natural communities that are typical and commonplace in Missouri as well as areas that are unique or unusual. Upland deciduous forest similar to this once covered most of Warren County.
Reifsnider White Oak Natural Area Facts
Size: 22 acres.
Date of Designation: December 20, 1971.
Location: About 2 miles southeast of Warrenton off Scheutzen Ground Road. SW SW Sec. 35, T47N, R2W, Wright City 7.5 min. topographic quadrangle.
Natural Signifigance: Mature white oak upland forest and associated animals and plants of the Missouri River Section of the Ozark Border Natural Division.
Soils: Lindley loam, a deep, moderately drained soil formed in glacial till (material deposited by glaciers) under deciduous forest vegetation.
Geological History: This area was glaciated during the Kansas glaciation which retreated about 400,000 years ago.
Ownership and Management: The Natural Area is part of the 1,345 acre Reifsnider State Forest and is administered by the Missouri Department of Conservation. For additional information on the Natural Area and the State Forest contact: Resource Forester, Missouri Department of Conservation, Box 157, Warrenton, MO 63383, phone 314 / 456-3368.
Special Regulations: As in all Natural Areas, collecting of plants and animals is prohibited. Regulations applying to the State Forest are posted at the entrance.
Nearby Areas of Interest: Daniel Boone State Forest, Warren County and Little Lost Creek State Forest, Warren County.
WARREN 10 Reifsnider
A 22-acre portion of the Frank Reifsnider State Forest in the SW1/4, SW1/4 of Section 35, T47N, R2W, Wright City 7.5 min. topographic map. Access to the state forest is from a county road near the southeast corner of the area. Designated December 20, 1971.
Natural Features
A mature, white oak upland forest with trees from 100 to 120 years old; Reifsnider Forest is located in the Missouri River Section of the Ozark Border Natural Division. The dominant soils are Lindley loam and Keswick silt loam, which are derived from glacial deposits and Goss (limestone and shale). For further information and a brochure of the site contact the District Forester, Hannibal Forest District, Box 428, Hannibal, MO 63401, phone 573/248-2530.
