The annual meeting of the Idaho Tree Farm Program was held in conjunction with the Family Forest Landowners and Managers Conference on March 25 in Moscow.  The meeting was well attended and informative for all those on hand.  In addition to a review of 2012 activities and a look ahead at 2013, a main part of the agenda is the announcement of the recipients for Outstanding Inspector, Logger and Tree Farmer of the year.

Our Tree Farmers of the Year will be familiar to many of you.  Jim and Jane Thornes from St. Maries have been part of ATFS for many years and we are pleased to announce them as Idaho Outstanding Tree Farmer of the Year for 2013!  They currently look after 270 acres of timberland and have been Tree Farm members since 1976.  The stewardship and care they have devoted through the years is evident throughout their ownership.  They have had a regular program of annual harvesting to promote growth, capture mortality, and improve forest health.  In addition, they have also precommercially thinned, pruned and planted well over 100 acres.    Wanting to take an active part in the management of their land, the Thornes have chosen to do the majority of this work on their own rather than contract it out.  When it comes to inviting the public to view their land, no one takes a back seat to these fine stewards.  Jim and Jane have hosted numerous tours, workshops and training sessions over the years.  As a Project Learning Tree and Project WET facilitator, Jane teaches student and educator groups each year about our natural world.  Jim has also given of his time as board member and president of Idaho Forest Owners Association, supervisor of the Benewah Soil & Water Conservation District, and serving on the Idaho Forest Practices Act Advisory Board.  Together they are committed to the stewardship of their Tree Farm and are first class ambassadors for what we all want to see done on the land.

This year the Outstanding Inspector award went to Tim Kyllo of Idaho Forest Group.  Tim has been doing a remarkable job of helping grow our program over the past several years.  His efforts have resulted in over 200 newly certified Tree Farms and many thousands of acres being added to the ATFS system.  As well, Tim has regularly nominated individuals for Inspector, Logger and Tree Farmer of the year; set up and lead our 2012 Fall Tour; helped work on grant writing and implementation; and volunteered on our state committee as a district chair. In his work for Idaho Forest Group Tim continued to spread our message by including statements promoting Tree Farm in their company print ads.  Thank you Tim for all your efforts on our behalf!

Logger of the year honors went to Evergreen Wood Energy of Bonners Ferry.  Alan Flory, Vance Warden, and Jamie Barton have been doing an excellent job of stewardship on private lands and were very much deserving of this award.  During the recent market downturn, they have focused much of their efforts toward removing and grinding the smaller submerchantable material that tends to accumulate in our Inland forests.  Improved forest health, increased yield and reduced fire risk have been the chief outcomes on these tracts.  Along with their fine on-the-ground work though, they are also involved in several public outreach and conservation efforts.  These include a riparian restoration project in partnership with the Bonneville Power Administration and the Kootenai Tribe, a film on the history of our timber industry produced by the Smithsonian Institute, as well as helping with extension classes to further professional logging and private stewardship.  Not just competent and caring loggers – they are also fully dedicated to the management of all the resources these forested acres provide.

The American Tree Farm System® (ATFS), has named Steve and Janet Funk of Coeur d’Alene as the 2011 National Outstanding Tree Farmers of the year. They were recognized at the National Tree Farmer Convention in Albuquerque, New Mexico for their outstanding sustainable forest management on privately owned woodlands.  The award is sponsored annually by Stihl Inc.

The Funks’ Edgecreek Tree Farm is a 369-acre woodland that has become a valuable tool in demonstrating sustainable management of degraded forests and the pathway to a healthy and thriving forest.

In 1974 Steve and Janet Funk bought 80 acres in Wolf Lodge and obtained an additional 55 acres a few years later. The Funks’ have been a certified tree farm member of the Idaho Tree Farm Program through ATFS since 1974. Through the program they received advice on forest management and wrote their first management plan – a basic, self-use plan with short-term goals. In 1989 the Funks’ added 240 acres and managed the forest by conducting small harvests of dead/dying trees, road and culvert maintenance, and planting several hundred seedlings at a time. From this Steve and Janet began to see a healthy forest emerge from what used to be an unhealthy forest.

The years of family efforts have resulted in a healthier stand of trees that provide growth potential, a stable water absorption/run off mechanism, habitat for a diverse wildlife population, and a place to share with hikers, hunters and others just wanting to commune with Nature. They also built a pond with a small island for wildfowl nesting. Today, Douglas fir, larch & ponderosa pine flourish on the sunny, drier, south and west-facing slopes with stands on the north and east-facing slopes, with more shade and moisture, mostly consist of grand fir, white pine, hemlock and red cedar. Many types of brush have thrived creating excellent browsing grounds for wildlife.

Steve and Janet Funk say that living near a stream in the forest far surpasses their old dream of being able to camp in such places occasionally. “We have found more than enjoyment – we have found ourselves.”