Green Horizons

This Landowner Spotlight honors two Missouri landowners, Richard Stricklin and Terry Truttmann, who were recently recognized with national awards from the American Tree Farm System: The BASF Outstanding Achievements in Sustainable Forestry award and the Outstanding Inspector of the Year award.

The American Tree Farm System® (ATFS) is a national program that promotes the sustainable management of forests through education and outreach to private forest landowners. Founded in 1941, the ATFS has 33 million acres of privately owned forestland and 51,000 family forest owners who are committed to excellence in forest stewardship. Tree Farmers manage their forestlands for wood, water, wildlife and recreation with assistance from 4,000 volunteer foresters. ATFS is a program of the American Forest Foundation, a nonprofit organization that works for healthy forests, quality environmental education, and informed decision-making about our communities and our world.

The BASF Outstanding Achievements in Sustainable Forestry award recognizes individual achievement in spreading the practice of sustainable forestry in the United States. The ATFS and BASF Corp. honor the individual who has achieved significant results in their community by effectively reaching out to forest landowners and/or the general public to demonstrate the benefits of sustainable forestry.

The Outstanding Inspector of the Year award honors an ATFS volunteer inspector. Outstanding inspectors give their time to ATFS, and perform considerable outreach efforts to educate the public and private landowners on the benefits of sustainable forestry. The honored individual is selected from four regional winners. Many Outstanding Inspectors of the Year are also honorees of the hardhat awards, which recognize inspector efforts to introduce ATFS to hundreds of new Tree Farmers.

Missouri Tree Farmer receives 2005 BASF Outstanding Achievements in Sustainable Forestry Award

Washington, D.C. – The American Tree Farm System® (ATFS), a program of the American Forest Foundation, along with BASF Corp., named Richard Stricklin of Mountain View, Mo. as the winner of the BASF Forestry Products Outstanding Achievements in Sustainable Forestry Award for 2005. Stricklin received his award during the National Tree Farmer Convention held in Springfield, Mass.

The BASF award recognizes individual achievement in spreading the practice of sustainable forestry in their communities. Stricklin has worked tirelessly for years volunteering as chair of the Forestry and Wildlife Committee of the Top of the Ozarks Resource Conservation and Development Council, a 10 county, non-profit organization, and as a Tree Farmer.

Stricklin has constantly sought out new ways to reach local timber owners in the Ozarks. With the Top of the Ozarks Resource Conservation and Development Council, Stricklin has headed a diverse portfolio of activities including a television pilot on the Ozarks, resource publications and websites, educational workshops, and multiple projects and initiatives focusing on land management and sustainability. His projects take all facets of sustainable forestry into account, creating effective, balanced projects. Stricklin’s commitment to proper management of forestland extends to his own 160 acres of forestland. He has been a certified ATFS member since 1987 and was certified as a Forest Crop Land Cooperator in 1990. Annually, Stricklin personally implements 10 acres of timber stand improvement based on his long term management plan developed with the Missouri Department of Conservation, converting poor forestland to rich short leaf pine.

"Richard deserves this recognition," said Bob Simpson, Senior Vice President, ATFS. "His passion for sustainable forest management has reached beyond measurement in the Ozarks. He has selflessly dedicated his time, energy, and knowledge to improving the land to which he is dedicated."

Stricklin has been a consistent voice in the Ozarks for nearly two decades, contributing to the acceptance and implementation of sustainable forestry practices across the Ozarks. He was selected by five independent judges to receive the award and the $5,000 cash award from BASF, presented at the 2005 National Tree Farmer Convention in Springfield, Mass.

For more information please contact Brigitte Johnson, APR, Director of Communications, 202.463.5163, Email bjohnson@forestfoundation.org or visit ATFS at www.treefarmsystem.org

Terry Truttmann named national "Outstanding Tree Farm Inspector of the Year"

Joyce Baker, Communications Coordinator , Missouri Forest Products Association

The Missouri Forest Products Association and the Missouri Tree Farm Committee extends its congratulations to Terry Truttmann, Missouri Department of Conservation, Chillicothe, for winning not only the Regional Tree Farm Inspector of the Year, but also the American Tree Farm System’s (ATFS) "Outstanding Inspector of the Year" award.

Truttmann was nominated for Regional Tree Farm Inspector of the Year by the Missouri Tree Farm Committee in June. All regional nominations are reviewed by ATFS staff, who with assistance from American Forest Foundation staff, selects the Outstanding Inspector of the Year from among four regional finalists. The American Tree Farm System (ATFS) awarded the Wes Meier Award, a special wood and marble plaque, to Truttmann for "Outstanding Inspector of the Year" during the National Tree Farm Convention in September 2005. The Outstanding Inspector of the Year Award honors one ATFS volunteer inspector annually. Outstanding inspectors are recognized for donating time to the ATFS and performing considerable outreach efforts to educate the public and private landowners on the benefits of sustainable forestry -- criteria well-suited to Truttmann’s longstanding commitment to promoting forestry stewardship in Missouri.

Terry Truttmann, center, addresses questions and offers advice about forest stewardship and management as an active ATFS Tree Farmer and resource forester for the Missouri Department of Conservation.

Truttmann manages a nearly 6,000-acre state land conservation area while actively promoting the Tree Farm organization by conducting or participating in promotions and field tours. He organizes an annual fall color driving tour on his conservation area to highlight forestry practices, averaging 1,000 participants. Truttmann’s acreage is also recognized as one of several quail emphasis areas in the state, and he coordinates intensive quail management practices with other MDC staff.

Truttmann has been employed as a Resource Forester for the Missouri Department of Conservation for the past 15 years, and promotes the Tree Farm program with a display at community events including fairs, local Soil and Water Conservation District and Natural Resource Conservation Service functions.

"We have been very active in our region to promote the program and get pictures and articles out whenever any of our regional Tree Farmers are awarded," said Truttmann. The previous two State Tree Farm winners came from his region.

During the past five years, Truttmann has completed 49 Tree Farm reinspections. His list of responsibilities includes serving as the regional Tree Farm Chair in Region 1 for eight years, and as newsletter editor prior to that for five years. He has not only reinspected many of these Tree Farms, but has also developed plans, inventories, marked timber stand improvement projects and timber sales for landowners. Until last year, he covered seven counties, and as of this year, handles private land forestry calls in three counties in Northwest Missouri. He is a Society of American Foresters (SAF) certified forester and served as the secretary/ treasurer last year for the Missouri SAF. He now serves as current chair for the organization.

The Missouri Forest Products Association’s (MFPA) mission is to encourage the wise use and conservation of our nation’s natural resources. MFPA promotes the business of all forest-related industries and encourages closer working relationships among forest product firms, forest owners, producers, and harvesters. This networking helps improve procurement, processing, research, and marketing of forest products. For more information, visit www.moforest.org

The Missouri Tree Farm Committee is a program of MFPA. Its mission is to promote the maintenance and improvement of private lands for forest growth, quality, wildlife, habitat, soils, recreational benefits, wetland and watershed protection.