Spring 2009
Volume 18 No. 1
Indiana Tree Farm Awards
By Larry Lichtsinn
Logger of the Year
Clif Buchan, Buchan Logging, Inc., was honored as the 2008 Logger of the Year by the Indiana Tree Farm Committee. The award was presented at the Indiana Hardwood Lumberman’s Association 111th Annual Convention on Wednesday, February 4, 2009 at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Indianapolis. The award was accepted by Clif’s brothers, Brent, Ned and Jay, since Clif is recuperating from a snowmobile accident.
Some of the highlights of Clif Buchan’s accomplishments are Cutter Training (I, II, III and IV); Skidder Training (I & II); Best Management Practices Course, IHLA Lumber Grading Short Course; and Storm Salvage Training as well as other courses to enable him to do his job better and more safely.
Tree Farmer of the Year
Ward Wilkins from Tippecanoe County received the 2008 Tree Farmer of the Year Award. The woods is located in Montgomery County.
Outdoor Laboratory Award
The 2008 Indiana Tree Farm Outdoor Laboratory winner is Henry S. Evans Elementary School in Lake Station, Indiana. The school courtyard is a piece of artwork and they have transformed an asphalt slab to a beautiful learning center (pictured on Page 2). Outdoor labs are judged on the facility, curriculum, and program and administration.
The Indiana Tree Farm Committee is sponsored by the Indiana Hardwood Lumberman’s Association. The Indiana Tree Farm Program is the state affiliate of the American Tree Farm System. This program recognizes landowners who are doing an above-average job of forest management. Tree Farms are also internationally certified for sustainability under the Program for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC).