Like most farmers, Larry and Suellen Gibson of Pickens County are in a business that requires great patience and an equal measure of financial stewardship. Before they realize a penny of profit from their labors, they must plant a crop and carefully manage its growth until harvest–all the while praying that disaster doesn’t strike.For forest owners like the Gibsons, however, the span between planting and harvest isn’t a period of months; it’s 25-50 years. That’s why the Outstanding Young Farm Family in the forestry division is especially concerned about Gov. Bob Riley’s $1.2 billion tax package.”Some things that a lot of people don’t realize, who don’t own timberland, is the amount of time involved in actually producing trees,” Larry said. “You drive by on the highway and see these big, tall, standing trees that look so nice, but it has taken 35-50 years for them to get to that point, and somebody’s put a lot of effort and time into growing that crop.”The Gibsons, who own 850 acres of timberland, said they could see their property taxes triple or quadruple if voters approve Gov. Riley’s tax package Sept. 9.”I know 850 acres sounds like a lot, but we are still paying on all of this land. It’s all reasonably young timber, and we’re not getting much income off of it,” said Larry, 31. “This tax package is going to affect us directly. The timber that’s going to be harvested on our land is to provide for our family’s retirement plus the education of our children. Anytime you have more expense it’s going to affect your return, and at this point, we are still 25 years from getting the majority of our income.” To help offset the cost of land payments and ongoing management practices, the Gibsons lease the hunting and fishing rights on their property, which includes 600 acres of planted pines and 20 acres of lakes. In addition, Larry, who is a registered forester in Alabama and Mississippi, owns Gibson Forest Management Inc., which manages about 25,000 acres of timberland for private landowners.Larry bought his first tract of timberland in 1993 when he was a junior at Mississippi State University. He said being a timber owner has helped him in his consulting business.”I have this land of my own, and I can use that as a guide to show my clients some of the things I’ve done,” he said. “I think owning this land has made me a better consulting forester because I know some of the limits they are facing, as far as spending money, and I can tell them some of the anticipated returns.”Larry said Gibson Forest Management doesn’t employ tree-planting or harvesting crews. But as a consultant, he serves as the landowner’s agent throughout every phase of timber production–from developing a forest management plan to negotiating prices with potential buyers. Although the timber business has been plagued by low prices the last few years, Larry said heavy rains have kept harvest crews out of the woods this year, which, in turn, has helped prices. “We’ve been enjoying some good prices in pine and hardwood pulpwood–sawtimber has been pretty much the same–but we’ve been able to capitalize on some of these wetter months, and we’ve gotten some better prices for some of our clients,” Larry said.Weather, however, isn’t the only factor that affects timber prices. Larry said increased foreign competition, especially from Canada, has hurt the Southern timber industry. Because Canada subsidizes its forest industry, Larry said home-improvement centers often can sell foreign-grown wood cheaper than lumber produced right here in Alabama.Despite the challenges, Larry and Suellen, 36, are pleased with the life they have chosen for their family. Larry said he first got interested in forestry as a boy, watching his grandfather clear land for row crop farmers during the soybean boom.”I started going to work with him when I was 4 or 5 years old, and I really developed a land ethic,” Larry recalled. “I’ve always liked being outside, and I like managing timber.”Suellen, who is a counselor at Aliceville Elementary School, grew up in town, but she said she’s glad the couple’s children, Reagan, 4, and Clay, 2, have the opportunity to experience agriculture first hand.”I think it’s really good because lots of kids have no idea what their daddies do. They know that they get up in the morning, go to work and come home at night. But Reagan and Clay get to watch their daddy work. I think that’s good because they get to see him do what he loves and what he’s wanted to do for most of his life,” Suellen said.”Hopefully, through the time we are investing with them, they will learn to love and appreciate the gifts God has given us–the gifts of nature. And hopefully, while they are doing that, they can learn to respect it and learn the responsibilities that come along with it.”Larry, who is a graduate of the Alabama Agriculture and Forestry Leadership Development Program, is involved in more than a dozen civic, church and producer organizations. He said it is important for farmers to be involved in the community because many people don’t understand or appreciate what’s involved in producing food and timber.”I think it is something we have to do,” Larry said. “We’ve got a lot of increasing pressures from different organizations that are not really against natural resources, but they may not be very well informed–whether it’s a well-intentioned lawmaker who’s not exactly sure of the policies he’s recommending or a left-wing environmental group that doesn’t really understand the science behind some of the things we are doing. I think we need to be involved to get our point across and to show that we are doing the correct things in a scientific way.”