On behalf of his company, Columbia Forest Products'  CEO Brad Thompson receives the Gifford Pinchot Award from Stuart Clarke, chairman of the Hardwood Forestry Fund's award program.

ATLANTA —

Columbia Forest Products received the 2010 Gifford Pinchot Award, presented by the Hardwood Forestry Fund. The award presentation was held on Aug. 27 during the International Woodworking Fair.

The HFF’s Gifford Pinchot Award recognizes “significant corporate achievements in promoting sustainable forestry.” Pinchot was the first chief of the U.S. Forest Service and renown for his conservation efforts.

In presenting the Pinchot award to Brad Thompson, CEO of Columbia Forest Products, Stuart Clarke, president of Clarke Veneers and Plywood and HFF’s award chairman, said, “Columbia receives this special award for its tremendous environmental and conservation focus and leadership. Columbia has made significant investments in:

• “Educating people about America’s vast and renewable forest resources — this includes Columbia’s personnel and staff of professionally licensed foresters, loggers safety training programs, private landowner education and web-based forest management outreach;

• “Raising the bar on the sourcing of legal and certified products by connecting forest woodland owners, distributors, fabricators and consumers to the hardwood resource through certification; and

• “Leading efforts to expand tree replacement on public forests with a focus on the management and health of public and private hardwood timberlands.”

“Columbia’s corporate efforts made their nomination shine,” said HFF Chairman Rick Philipps.

In receiving the award, Columbia Forest's Thompson said, “We don’t do these things because we have to, we do them because they’re the right thing to do.”