What Tall Timbers does

Tall Timbers is a private, nonprofit Florida corporation founded in 1958 by Henry L. Beadel, operating as an internationally recognized research station, regional land trust, and education center headquartered on 13,000+ acres north of Tallahassee in Leon County. The organization is widely regarded as the birthplace of prescribed fire science, building on the foundational work of Herbert Stoddard and the Komarek family, and conducts research, conservation, and education programs focused on fire ecology, bobwhite quail recovery, game bird management, rare species conservation, and sustainable forestry across the Red Hills and Albany regions of the Southeastern United States.

The organization operates five core programmatic areas: the Wildland Fire Science Program (including the Prescribed Fire Science Consortium and RxScience); the Game Bird Program (with over 1,000 radio-tags deployed annually for bobwhite research); the Stoddard Bird Lab (studying Red-cockaded Woodpeckers, Bachman's Sparrows, and Gopher Tortoises); the Land Conservancy (with 145,000+ acres permanently protected through conservation easements); and education/training programs (including the Prescribed Fire Training Center, Prescribed Fire Academy on Canvas LMS, and the Quail Lands Job Board). Technology infrastructure includes terrestrial LiDAR for 3D fuel bed modeling, autonomous recording units for ecoacoustic monitoring, thermal imaging for fire behavior research, and a Geospatial Center providing GIS services internally and externally.

Tall Timbers generates revenue through a diversified nonprofit model including membership contributions (starting at $125 annually), donations, major fundraising events (Kate Ireland Memorial Dinner & Auction), grants (notably a $25 million USDA award in October 2024), facility rentals at the E.V. Komarek Science Education Center, training program fees, and publications. The customer base spans private landowners, hunting plantations, public land management agencies (FL Forest Service, USFS, NPS, FWC), academic institutions, and conservation partners. Geographic operations center on North Florida and South Georgia with expanding reach into Alabama, the Ridge and Valley region, and the Delmarva Peninsula via regional coordinator positions.

Name

Tall Timbers

Legal name

Tall Timbers Research, Inc.

Website

https://talltimbers.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1958

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Tall Timbers is a nonprofit research station and land trust founded in 1958, focused on fire ecology, prescribed fire science, and bobwhite quail conservation, serving private landowners, public agencies, and academic institutions across the Southeastern United States.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Conservation Research and Land Trust Services

NAICS

Support Activities for Forestry (1153)

SIC

Forestry (800)

akta.pro primary industry

Wildfire Risk Assessment, Prevention & Suppression Services (IMAMAJAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Forest Management & Silviculture Services (Cruising, Planning, Compliance) (IMAMAAAD), Forest Fire Management & Fuels Reduction Services (IMAMAAAH), Integrated Forest Health & Fire Management Planning (AFAMAEAK)

Keywords

• Prescribed fire science
• Land conservation
• Fire ecology research
• Wildlife management
• Land trust services

Headquarters

HQ city

Tallahassee

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership and Donations: Annual membership gifts support day-to-day operations. Charitable nonprofit relying on generous financial support of members. Contributing level ($125+) are listed in the Annual Report.
2. Donations and Fundraising Events: Major annual event includes the Kate Ireland Memorial Dinner & Auction. Corporate sponsors are featured on the support page. Program-specific giving options available.
3. Facility and Event Rentals: The E.V. Komarek Science Education Center and outdoor grounds (grass terrace, garden) are available to rent for business meetings, retreats, social gatherings, and weddings. Indoor and outdoor venues available with full A/V equipment.
4. Publications and Information Resources: Distributes publications including Quail Call, eJournal, Firebird, and other research publications. Publications archive and bookstore available on the website.
5. Quail Lands Job Board: Job posting service for wild quail hunting properties. The service connects employers with job seekers. Currently has free posting available.
6. Training and Education Programs: Prescribed Fire Academy (free online platform), fire ecology internships (stipend-based), Livingston Place Quail Management Internship (16-week program). PFTC (Prescribed Fire Training Center) training programs.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels7 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Tall Timbers is a nonprofit research station and land trust that conducts applied research on fire-adapted ecosystems, manages conservation easements protecting over 145,000 acres in the Red Hills and Albany regions, and delivers prescribed fire training and land stewardship services to private landowners and public land management agencies. The organization directly manages more than 13,000 acres in North Florida, operates the Prescribed Fire Training Center, runs the Quail Lands Job Board, and publishes research findings and educational resources for fire practitioners and land managers.

Product overview

Tall Timbers offers a portfolio of research, education, and conservation products and services focused on fire ecology, wildlife management, and land stewardship. The core digital products include the Prescribed Fire Academy (an interactive online learning platform on Canvas LMS with seven training modules), the Quail Lands Job Board (connecting employers with candidates for wild quail hunting properties), and the Prescribed Burn Planner tool (helping fire practitioners set prescription conditions). Research products center on the Stoddard Bird Lab (studying fire-dependent bird species) and the E.V. Komarek Fire Ecology Database. Publications include the eJournal, Firebird newsletter, and Quail Call magazine. Service offerings encompass prescribed fire training (including PFTC), Private Lands Prescribed Fire Services with the Burn Team, conservation easements protecting over 145,000 acres, event facilities at the Tallahassee campus, and Livingston Place (a 9,100-acre research and training property). The Southern Fire Exchange provides fire science outreach regionally.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Stoddard Bird Lab: Named after Herbert Stoddard, focuses on research in ecology, conservation, and management of species that benefit from fire, including Red-cockaded Woodpeckers, Brown-headed Nuthatches, Bachman's Sparrows, and Gopher Tortoises.
• Game Bird Program
• Wildland Fire Science Program
• Livingston Place

Products and services

• Prescribed Fire Academy An interactive online learning platform providing high-quality prescribed fire training for private landowners through seven modules covering fire concepts, planning, and execution, aligned with state Certified Prescribed Burn Manager programs.
• Quail Lands Job Board A dedicated job board connecting employers with qualified candidates for wild quail hunting properties, supporting workforce development for land management, hunting, and hospitality positions across the Southeast.
• Tall Timbers Prescribed Burn Planner A digital planning tool helping fire practitioners set ideal conditions for specified burn units and receive regular notifications on whether their fire prescription is suitable.
• Stoddard Bird Lab Research program focused on conserving, managing, and monitoring rare birds and wildlife associated with fire-dependent ecosystems, including Red-cockaded Woodpeckers, Brown-headed Nuthatches, Bachman's Sparrows, and Gopher Tortoises.
• Prescribed Fire Training Hands-on fire training programs including the Prescribed Fire Training Center (PFTC) and support for National Wildfire Coordinating Group (NWCG) certification courses, training firefighters in prescribed fire principles and techniques.
• Private Lands Prescribed Fire Services The Longleaf Legacy Landscape Burn Team provides hands-on assistance to private landowners learning to burn, technical guidance, and help identifying qualified burn vendors.
• Conservation Easements Land conservation tool permanently protecting private woodlands and working lands while balancing economic return from selective timbering, with over 145,000 acres protected in the Red Hills and Albany regions.
• Event Facilities Venue rental at Tall Timbers including the E.V. Komarek Science Education Center for meetings and presentations, and outdoor spaces like the grass terrace and garden overlooking Lake Iamonia.
• Southern Fire Exchange A boundary-spanning organization hosted by Tall Timbers that develops programs bridging fire science and natural resource management, funded by the Joint Fire Science Program.

Quantifiable outcome

• Nearly 40% of the 436,000-acre Red Hills core area is permanently protected, with a 10-year conservation vision to close gaps between conserved and unprotected lands.
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration6 records

AI capability3 records

Feature7 records

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered secondary and core.

• Aucilla River Watershed CoalitionsecondaryStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019Coalition launched in 2019 to build partnerships, raise awareness, and conserve the unique features of the Aucilla River watershed. Tall Timbers seeks to conserve 100% of the frontage along the Aucilla River and permanently protect at least 50% of the watershed.
• Upland Ecosystem Restoration Project (UERP) Partner AgenciescoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2006Partnership with Florida Forest Service, Florida Park Service, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, and U.S. Forest Service since 2006. Guided by a steering committee, UERP has changed management philosophy on over 190,000 acres of public land towards fire-dependent habitat restoration.
• Florida Wildlife Corridor FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership across 2.815 million acres in 11 Big Bend counties to create micro-corridors linking working and wild lands of critical ecological value. Tall Timbers provides stewardship expertise and landowner outreach to conserve this unique North Florida region. Funded through the Florida Wildlife Corridor Foundation.
• University of FloridacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative partner in the Southern Fire Exchange (SFE), a boundary spanning organization connecting fire science researchers and natural resource managers. UF co-hosts SFE with Tall Timbers, NCSU, and USFS Southern Research Station.
• North Carolina State UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative partner in the Southern Fire Exchange (SFE), co-hosted with Tall Timbers, University of Florida, and USFS Southern Research Station to bridge the gap between fire science and natural resource management communities.
• U.S. Forest Service Southern Research StationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative partner in the Southern Fire Exchange (SFE) and the Prescribed Fire Science Consortium. USFS researchers work with Tall Timbers on fire behavior models, smoke transport, and fire effects research using LiDAR and infrared imagery.
• Prescribed Fire Training Center (PFTC) - Partner AgenciescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational interagency training center headquartered at Tall Timbers providing prescribed fire training to federal, state, local, tribal government agencies and other organizations. Training locations across FL, GA, MS, AL, LA, NC, and SC.
• Southern Regional Technical CollegesecondaryGTM or Marketing PartnerTechnical college partner in workforce development for land management, hunting, and hospitality jobs on wild quail properties. Helps promote the Quail Lands Job Board to students and evaluates curriculum based on job market data from the board.
• Albany Technical CollegesecondaryGTM or Marketing PartnerTechnical college partner in workforce development for land management jobs. Participates in efforts to address workforce development needs for wild quail hunting properties and promotes the job board.
• Ogeechee Technical CollegesecondaryGTM or Marketing PartnerTechnical college partner helping promote the Quail Lands Job Board to students and supporting workforce development efforts for land management, hunting, and hospitality positions.
• Berry CollegesecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Berry College in Rome, Georgia for the Mountain Longleaf Prescribed Burn Association Coordinator position. Facilitates fire training and land management mentoring for Berry College students, including developing a student burn team and Society of Fire Ecology (SAFE) chapter.
• Georgia Forestry CommissioncoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerState agency partner for prescribed fire permitting and training in Georgia. Tall Timbers supports the Georgia Forestry Commission Prescribed Fire Center in Marion County through workshops and fire training. Joint efforts include the Prescribed Fire Advertising Campaign expanded into Albany, Georgia region.
• National Wildfire Coordinating Group (NWCG)coreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerTall Timbers staff and researchers serve as a cadre for NWCG training courses ranging from basic wildland fire to advanced fire effects. NWCG materials are incorporated into the Prescribed Fire Academy curriculum.
• Southern Fire Exchange (SFE)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerA Joint Fire Science Program-funded boundary spanning organization hosted by Tall Timbers, UF, NCSU, and USFS. Member of the nationwide network of Fire Science Exchanges. Develops programs to bridge the gap between fire science and natural resource management.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Joseph W. Jones Ecological Research Center: Private research station at Ichauway in southwest Georgia operating on a similar model: applied ecological research, longleaf pine and bobwhite quail management, prescribed fire science, and large-scale land stewardship on tens of thousands of acres. The most directly comparable peer in mission, geography, and operating approach.
• The Longleaf Alliance: Nonprofit dedicated to the conservation and restoration of the longleaf pine ecosystem across its nine-state range. Directly comparable on longleaf ecosystem mission, prescribed fire advocacy, and landowner outreach programs that overlap with Tall Timbers' fire ecology and land management work.
• Quail Forever: National nonprofit focused on bobwhite quail habitat conservation with chapters across the Southeast. Directly competes for the same donor base of hunting landowners, runs parallel workforce and habitat programs, and partners with public agencies on prescribed fire and conservation initiatives overlapping Tall Timbers' Game Bird Program.
• National Wild Turkey Federation: National wildlife conservation nonprofit with a major focus on upland habitat, prescribed fire advocacy, and forest management. Overlaps directly with Tall Timbers' fire ecology, habitat stewardship, and landowner engagement mission across the Southeast.
• Pheasants Forever: National upland habitat organization with a chapter-based model focused on wildlife habitat, prescribed fire, and conservation delivery to private landowners. Comparable operating model and direct overlap with Tall Timbers' quail lands job board, prescribed fire training, and habitat stewardship work.
• Quality Deer Management Association: National nonprofit focused on deer habitat management, prescribed fire, and landowner stewardship education. Shares Tall Timbers' landowner engagement, fire-based management, and wildlife research priorities across the Southeast.

Broad incumbents

• The Nature Conservancy: Largest global conservation nonprofit with significant land trust operations, fire ecology programs, and Southeast regional presence. Operates at much greater scale than Tall Timbers and is a broader incumbent in land conservation, but overlaps on prescribed fire, fire-dependent ecosystem conservation, and conservation easement work.
• Ducks Unlimited: Largest waterfowl and wetland habitat conservation nonprofit in North America. Comparable operating model at much larger scale, with overlapping landowner engagement, habitat restoration, and conservation easement programs relevant to the broader Tall Timbers mission.

Others

• Land Trust Alliance: National umbrella organization that sets accreditation standards for land trusts (Tall Timbers is accredited since 2009). Indirect peer as an industry body governing the standards Tall Timbers meets, with overlapping conservation policy advocacy.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/talltimbers1958
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/talltimbers1958
• Facebookfacebook.com/TallTimbersResearch
• Instagraminstagram.com/talltimbersresearch

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles15 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Tall Timbers