PA Tree Farm: Committee’s Focus for 2024

By Susan Benedict, PA Tree Farm Committee Chair

The Pennsylvania Tree Farm Committee met following the National Leadership Committee (NLC) meeting in Vancouver, WA in early March. The NLC attendees from the PA Tree Farm Committee—Susan Benedict, Leroy Benedict, Celesta Powell, and Mike Powell—reported on their experience and learning from NLC. The biggest takeaway was that state committees need to fashion their programs to meet the needs of Tree Farmers in their state.

After some discussion, the PA committee decided to focus on the following:

• Identifying a PA Tree Farmer of the Year.
• Identifying a Tree Farm Inspector of the Year.
• Continuing to complete all required Tree Farm inspections and improve on our goal to inspect each Tree Farm every five years.
• Seeking out a Vice Chair for the committee.

We have been making progress on these goals. On our agenda for the committee’s July 2024 meeting is the selection of our Tree Farmer of the Year candidates and our Inspector of the Year candidates. We welcome your questions and comments; please email me at ssb4295@gmail.com.

For more information about the PA Tree Farm program, visit their webpage at
https://paforestry.org/tree-farm.