Each year, the Arkansas Tree Farm committee inspects a required number of properties to evaluate their management plans according to the Tree Farm Standards of Certification.
In 2013, volunteer inspectors visited 215 Tree Farms and signed up 59 new woodlands into the program, administered in Arkansas by the Arkansas Forestry Association (AFA). There are 1,835 certified Tree Farmers in Arkansas, representing 957,324 acres of certified woodlands. On December 13, this group recognized volunteer inspectors and partnering organizations for their work.
“The Tree Farm program is an outstanding forest certification option for private woodland owners,” said AFA Administrative Director Jennifer Johnson, who coordinates the program. “It continues to be successful because of the volunteer inspectors who work with landowners to ensure their forestlands meet the program’s stringent sustainability standards."