Dwight and Judy Batts - 2014 Southern Regional Outstanding Tree Farmers of the Year
American Tree Farm System® Award Sponsored by STIHL, Inc.
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Judy and Dwight Batts of Wilson County, North Carolina, have been
named 2014 Regional Tree Farmers of the Year for the Southern region. They are the fifth generation to manage their family-owned Tree Farm, Batts Tree Farm . The regional award was conferred by the American Tree Farm System®(ATFS), a program of the American Forest Foundation. It places the couple among four finalists for recognition as the 2014 National Tree Farmer of the Year, an honor that will be conferred in July at the annual ATFS conference in Pittsburgh, Pa. The Outstanding Tree Farmer of the Year award sponsored by STIHL, Inc.
“The sustainable production and conservation that Dwight and Judy have created on their family homestead is an inspiration to natural resource professionals, other landowners, visiting school children and anyone else who is lucky enough to pay a visit,” said Sean Brogan of the North Carolina Forest Service. The couple, he says, “embodies the spirit of the Tree Farm Program.”
Every year, ATFS inspecting foresters and state committees nominate Certified Tree Farmers whose conservation efforts, outreach efforts to their community and advocacy for sustainable forest management exceed expectations.
“Privately owned woodlands are vital to our country's clean water and air, wildlife habitat, recreational activities and producing the jobs, wood and paper products we all need. These benefits wouldn’t be possible without the outstanding stewardship and hard work of dedicated landowners across the country, and the American Tree Farm System is proud to recognize the 2014 Regional Outstanding Tree Farmers of the Year,” said Rita Hite, Executive Vice President for Woodlands and Policy with the American Forest Foundation.
All Regional Outstanding Tree Farmers will attend the National Tree Farmer Conventionthis July in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and participate in a panel discussion about their sustainable forestry work. The National Outstanding Tree Farmer of the Year will be selected from one of these regional awardees and announced at the convention. In addition to Judy and Dwight Batts, other regional honorees include: Northeast Region -Bambi Jones and David (“Tracy”) Moskovitz, Whitefield, ME; North Central Region - Kim and Dennis Schoeneck, Pelican Lake, WI; and Western Region – Audrey and Rick Barnes, Roseburg, OR.
The Regional and National Outstanding Tree Farmer of the Year awards are sponsored bySTIHL Inc., manufacturer of the number-one-selling brand of handheld outdoor power equipment in America. STIHL is proud to support the accomplishments of hard-working Tree Farmers from across the country. The four regional awardees will receive a $500 gift certificate from STIHL and travel assistance to the National Tree Farmer Convention.
Contact: Sara Anrrich, sanrrich@forestfoundation.org, 202-765-3376
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The American Tree Farm System® is a network of 82,000 family forest owners sustainably managing 24 million acres of forestland. ATFS is the largest and oldest sustainable woodland system in the United States, internationally recognized, meeting strict third-party certification standards. The American Tree Farm System® is a program of the American Forest Foundation. Learn more at www.treefarmsystem.org/awards-recognition.
