Trees Ranch, a 2,066-acre ecologically-rich property surrounded by Zion National Park and the Canaan Wilderness Area in southern Utah, was recently listed with Mirr Ranch Group of Denver, Colo. for $30 million. The current owners of this Utah ranch for sale are the heirs of Jim Trees, founder, former chairman and CEO of Fischer, Francis, Trees and Watts, Inc., a New York investment firm, and another partner. Trees also served on the faculty of Harvard Business School and was a founding board member of the Grand Canyon Trust.
“Jim had the vision to assemble Trees Ranch starting in 1982 with the dream of making it a national park of this own, while bringing 200 acres of land into organic production. He dedicated himself to a conservation ethic for the rest of his life and was an excellent steward of this land as a result,” said Bill Budinger, friend of Trees and fellow Grand Canyon Trust board member, as well as founder, former chairman and CEO of Rodel, Inc.
The ranch is home to the Springdale Fruit Company, Utah’s first organic apple orchard. Offering historic water rights, the East Fork of the Virgin River and Shunes Creek flow through the property and were recently designated “Wild and Scenic.” South Creek and the North Fork of the Virgin River dissect the ranch as well.
Trees Ranch features four homes and several ranch buildings. Designed by renowned architect, William McDonough, a pioneer and leader in the sustainability design movement as recognized by several national awards and Time magazine, the homes rest near the orchard, fields and rivers, and utilize pressed adobe-like block, rocks and timbers made from local materials to reflect the geology and history of the area.
There are numerous historic sites on the property including pre-historic Anasazi ruins and the pioneer settlement of Shunesburg explored by John Wesley Powell in 1872 as part of western surveys conducted by the U.S. Geological Survey.
According to listing ranch broker Ken Mirr of Mirr Ranch Group, Trees and his partner worked to maintain the abundant natural, agricultural, recreational, historical and cultural resources of the ranch. The heirs of the founding owners are seeking buyers who will continue this tradition of exemplary stewardship.
“As part of our focus in finding a conservation buyer to protect the numerous resources associated with Trees Ranch, we recently arranged tours with national and local conservation groups. These groups included The Nature Conservancy, The Trust for Public Land, and Virgin River Land Preservation Association, as well as the Superintendent of Zion National Park,” explains Mirr.
Jason Corzine of The Trust for Public Land reports, “The Trees Ranch offers the most spectacular views of the sandstone monoliths that frame Zion National Park. Coupled with hundreds of years of Mormon pioneer history, the property is one of the most unique in the southwestern United States. The ranch’s proximity to one of America’s most popular national parks makes it a compelling conservation and recreation opportunity.”