Georgia Landowners Names National Tree Farmers of the Year

11/5/09 Georgia forest landowners Earl and Wanda Barrs have received the prestigious national “Tree Farmer of the Year” award for 2009. At a ceremony in Washington, D.C. last night, the Barrs accepted the honor for sustainable forestry practices on “Gully Branch,” their 1500 acre property near Cochran.

The Outstanding Tree Farmer of the Year award was established by the American Forest Foundation in 1976 to recognize tree farmers who have done exceptional forest management on their properties and an extraordinary job of promoting sustainable forestry. Through public recognition, these individuals are held up as leaders in good forestry while their lands demonstrate the benefits of good forest management.

“The Barrs and their Gully Branch Tree Farm exemplify the very finest in forest management and forestry education,” said Steve McWilliams, Executive Vice President of the Georgia Forestry Association. “Their passion for sharing the farm with others will result in a next generation that has an appreciation for one of our most valuable resources - our forests.”

Earl and Wanda Barrs were certified as Georgia Tree Farm members in 1987. They have been widely recognized for utilizing their property to promote and advocate sustainable forestry principles and influence public policy while balancing wood production, environmental services of the land, and environmental education outreach. They were named Georgia Tree Farmers of the Year in 2008 and Southern Regional Tree Farmers of the Year in 2009.

In Georgia, nearly 2,000 landowners are certified members of Tree Farm, which is co-administered by the Georgia Forestry Commission and the Georgia Forestry Association. Members receive guidance from professional foresters and display the distinctive green and white “Wood, Water, Recreation, Wildlife” American Tree Farm System sign indicating their land is sustainably managed.

“Earl and Wanda Barrs’ story spans a century of American history,” said Bob Simpson, Senior Vice President for the American Forest Foundation. “From the time Earl’s great grandfather settled the land after World War I, Gully Branch has continued as working woodlands. Earl’s sustainable forestry practices and Wanda’s gifts as an educator make them particularly deserving of this award.”

Earl and Wanda Barrs personify what sustainable forestry is all about in the state of Georgia,” added Ed Withrow, State Chairman of the Georgia Tree Farm committee. “They are a point of pride for our state and the Georgia Tree Farm program.”

“While we never expected to receive such an esteemed honor when we set out on this journey, it is truly a blessing that the work of so many has resulted in our being named 2009 National Tree Farmers of the Year,” said Earl Barrs. Added Wanda Barrs, “We will continue to make it our mission to promote and advocate for sustainable forestry practices today that will ensure the gifts of the forest tomorrow.” For more information on the American Tree Farm program, visit www.treefarmsystem.org. In Georgia, interested landowners may contact Carla Rapp at carla@gfagrow.org, Steve Chapman at schapman@gfc.state.ga.us, or call 1-800-9GROWGA.

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