National recognition was given to Texas A&M Forest Service District Forester Russell Lykins for his work in and service to Texas landowners in Cass and Marion counties.
Lykins was presented the National Forest Stewardship Forester of the Year award at the National Forest Stewardship Conference hosted by the USDA Forest Service in Vancouver, WA. Oct. 20. The award is the first-of-its-kind given nationally by the USDA Forest Service and the National Association of State Foresters to the person or persons making a significant contribution of advancing the national Forest Stewardship and Rural Forestry Assistance programs.
Advancement comes in the form of numbers of landowners assisted, number of stewardship and reforestation plans written and the number of acres reforested. The stewardship program works to ensure the state’s forests, trees and related natural resources are well-managed. That’s important because healthy forests provide a sustainable flow of environmental and economic benefits.
With roughly 94 percent of the forestland in Texas privately owned, the management of our state’s trees and forests — as well as the benefits they provide — rests in the hands of thousands of Texans. Who better than the state’s tree experts to lead them? Local foresters, like Lykins, work with landowners to manage the state’s trees, forests and natural resources in ways that both benefit all Texans and satisfy the landowner’s objectives.
“I’m very appreciative of the award and it is a reflection on the hard work that not only I put in but the guys in the office who work just as hard if not harder to deliver the Forest Stewardship Program,” Lykins said. “The greatest joy I have is working with my guys to serve the landowners in Cass and Marion counties.”
From the Texas A&M Forest Service: https://texasforestservice.tamu.edu/content/article.aspx?id=22758