Charles and Betty Taylor Named 2015 N.C. Outstanding Tree Farmer of the Year

Charles and Betty Taylor of Brevard were named the 2015 Outstanding Tree Farmers of the Year at the N.C. Tree Farm Program’s Annual Meeting in Cleveland on Oct. 17.

This annual award recognizes Tree Farmers who actively manage their land to a high standard, promote wise forest management in their communities by serving on forestry committees, hosting field tours and workshops, participating in a broad array of conservation programs, and encourage other landowners to adopt sustainable forestry practices.

Charles Taylor began acquiring forest land at an early age and over the years, educated himself in the practical, scientific and business aspects of forestry. He is a lifelong advocate for forest management and conservation, and has protected forests from development in Western North Carolina by buying them and keeping them in active forest management. Charles Taylor is particularly interested in aesthetics and water quality, and is a model for good stewardship with his long-term view of forest management. He was a friend of forestry during his years in Congress where he served on the Appropriations Committee and has helped educate the next generation of foresters by hosting tours for forestry students on his land. Most recently he has set aside land to preserve the viewshed around a popular trail hike on his Waynesville tract and has transferred ownership of this property to the Conservation Fund, which will hold the property until the Blue Ridge Parkway can take ownership. He is also working with the Conservation Fund and the U.S. Park Service to create a high mountain meadow for Elk habitat. And he is transferring ownership of 8,000 acres on the headwaters of the French Broad River to the State of North Carolina for what will eventually become North Carolina’s newest state forest, Headwaters State Forest.

The N.C. Tree Farm Program is pleased to recognize Charles and Betty Taylor’s contributions to conservation and forestry.