Update on the Program in North Carolina....

NC Tree Farm Program Hosts Successful
Annual Meeting in Wilmington

One of the highlights of the North Carolina Tree Farm program’s annual meeting is the presentation of the 2011 North Carolina Tree Farmers of the Year and other noteworthy awards. The meeting took place on October 11-12 in Wilmington and featured a tour of Albert and Wynette’s Tree Farm, which was the North Carolina Tree Farm of the Year in 2010.

Maurice and Laura Hull of Semora, NC, were named the 2011 Tree Farmers of the Year as their farm, Waukegan Farms, was honored as the top Tree Farm in North Carolina. The farm is 875 acres in total, including 750 acres of well managed forestland, three fish ponds and a wild fowl water impoundment, 100 acres of wildlife food plots, 46 hunting stands and blinds and approximately 18 miles of riding trails. The farm is home to abundant wildlife, especially deer and turkey.

“The Hull property represents a perfect balance of the four emphases of the American Tree Farm System: wood, water, wildlife and recreation,” stated David Halley, the chair of the selection team.
The Hulls live in High Point, but spend many weekends at the farm working on the property and entertaining guests.

“We congratulate Maurice and Laura Hull for their selection for this prestigious honor,” commented Jim Long, a member of the Caswell Area Forestry Association. “This is a first for the northern Piedmont area of our state and provides a wonderful example of what can be accomplished through good forest management.”

For his work the selection committee and other volunteer efforts in support of the North Carolina Tree Farm program, David Halley was named the 2011 Outstanding North Carolina Tree Farm Inspector of the Year Award. Halley, a registered consulting forester, operates True North Forest Management Services in Holly Springs, NC.

The North Carolina Tree Farm program also had two Tree Farm Inspectors earn national recognition through their inspection work. Both Matt Vincett and David Henderson received Bronze Hard Hat Awards for signing up 25 new Tree Farmers.

David, the owner of Henderson Forestry Consultants in Asheboro, NC, was the North Carolina Tree Farm program’s Inspector of the Year in 2008. He is extremely active in the North Carolina program for a number of years. He has done numerous re-inspections and assisted with the Tree Farm audit that was conducted by Price-Waterhouse-Coopers several years ago.

Matt Vincett, a Water Quality Forester for the North Carolina Forest Service in Rockingham, NC, has been involved with the Tree Farm Program in North Carolina for many years. In fact, in the early 1990’s when the Tree Farm program was mothballed in North Carolina, Vincett continued to sign up new Tree Farmers working directly through the National Tree Farm office on his own. Matt was the North Carolina Tree Farm program’s Inspector of the Year in 2006. Ironically, Matt has signed up over 150 new Tree Farmers and already had a Silver and a Gold Hard Hat Award. The Bronze Hard Hat Award was long overdue and allowed him to complete his collection.

“Both of these foresters have shown tremendous enthusiasm for the North Carolina Tree Farm Program and are a valuable credit to the profession and the forestry community,” stated Al Weller, who coordinates the North Carolina Tree Farm program’s inspections.