Mason County Tree Farmer Named 2008 Washington State Tree Farmer of the Year

    LILLIWAUP, Wash., May 12 /PRNewswire/ -- The Hama Hama Tree Farm,
 managed by David Robbins and his family, has been named the 2008 Washington
 State Tree Farmer of the Year, recognizing his exceptional commitment to
 enhance his forest land. The award was announced on April 25, 2008, in Mt.
 Vernon, Washington, at the Annual Meeting of the Washington Farm Forestry
 Association, which is a co-sponsor of the Washington Tree Farm Program.
 
     David Robbins' grandfather, H.M. Robbins, started the Hama Hama Logging
 Company in 1922. In 1972, David became involved in the management of the
 property, which lies on the west side of Hood Canal and includes the Hama
 Hama River, Johns Creek, and 400 acres of estuary and tide flats. The tree
 farm is mostly composed of Douglas-fir with scattered stands of alder,
 hemlock and cedar, and supports a sustainable harvest of 1.4 million board
 feet per year. Their careful stewardship of the water, soil and timber
 resources directly benefits another portion of the family business -- the
 Hama Hama Seafood Company, which supplies oysters and clams to the area.
 
     "The Robbins family deserves to be recognized for their many years of
 excellent forest management and their commitment to forest stewardship,"
 Washington Tree Farm Program chair Bryon Loucks said.
 
     The Washington Tree Farmer of the Year contest recognizes private
 landowners for the exceptional job they do to enhance their forest land.
 The state, regional, and national Tree Farmer of the Year contests are
 sponsored by the American Tree Farm System (ATFS), a national program that
 promotes sustainable management of forests through education and outreach
 to private landowners. To be a certified Tree Farmer, a landowner must
 manage his or her forest land in an environmentally sound manner in
 accordance with the American Forest Foundation's standards and guidelines.
 Founded in 1941 in Washington State, ATFS has 94,000 family forest owners
 who are committed to excellence in forest stewardship on their 26 million
 acres.
 
     The two oldest forestry organizations in Washington, the Washington
 Farm Forestry Association and the Washington Forest Protection Association
 co-sponsor the Washington Tree Farm Program. They represent the private
 forest landowners in the state. For more information, visit
 www.wafarmforestry.com or www.wfpa.org.
 
 
 

SOURCE Washington Forest Protection Association