North Carolina Couple Named 2014 Outstanding Tree Farmers
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WASHINGTON, DC — The American Tree Farm System named Judy and Dwight Batts as the 2014 National Outstanding Tree Farmers of the Year.

North Carolina Couple Named 2014 Outstanding Tree FarmersThe Macclesfield, NC, residents own Batts Tree Farm, which has been in operation for five generations. The Batts, their children and grandchildren manage 375 ATFS-certified acres of woodland for timber - mostly loblolly and longleaf pine) - and water quality, wildlife habitat and recreation. Through perseverance and hard work they have established 60 acres of longleaf pines, a native species that once covered much of the Southeast United States but which has declined dramatically during the past century.

The American Tree Farm System is a program of the American Forest Foundation. The Outstanding Tree Farmer of the Year award is sponsored by STIHL Inc.

The American Tree Farm System is a network of 82,000 family forest owners managing 24 million acres of forestland.

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