Tree Farmer - September/October 2011 - (Page 10)

Brian Cobble: A Career Committed to Others 2011 Wesley R. Meier Outstanding Inspecting forester of the Year Award The Wesley R. Meier Award was established in 1998 to honor the work, life, and passion for forestry of Wesley Roger Meier, a former outstanding and dedicated volunteer inspector for the American Tree Farm System® (ATFS) in Wisconsin. Though he lost his life to cancer in 1994, the award shines as a living memory of his exemplary work for ATFS, for which he volunteered for 14 years. In having this award bestowed in his name, Mr. Meier has been honored by the Tree Farm inspectors of his day and by those who come after him. The Wesley R. Meier Award is based on a dedication to the forestlands and forest landowners — and honors the courage it often requires to walk a path of such service. The 2011 National Tree Farm By Preece KATHLeeN Inspector of the Year, Brian Cobble — who lives with wife Ronna and sons Phillip, 9, and Garrett, 5, on a 75-acre Tree Farm and Stewardship Forest near Live Oak, Florida — embodies this commitment. Born in Alabama, Cobble spent much of his young life in Columbus, Mississippi, graduating from Mississippi State University with a bachelor’s of science in forestry/ wildlife management. After an internship with International Paper, he worked in the pulp and paper end of forestry for Weyerhaeuser in Mississippi. In 2001, Brian became an employee of the Florida Division of Forestry (now called the Florida Forest Service). He was assigned to Suwannee County and, after three years, promoted to senior forester. He works in the coordination and administration of state and federal cooperative forestry programs on privately owned forestland. In 2008, Cobble earned the Society of American Foresters Young Forester Award for his demonstrated leadership in forestry and community and outstanding achievement in professional and civic organizations. In accepting the Wesley R. Meier Award during the National Tree 10 International Year of Forests, 2011 Tree Farmer SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2011

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Tree Farmer - September/October 2011

Tree Farmer - September/October 2011
Contents
Cover Story
Inspectors Honored
Tree farmers Gather
A family of Tree farms
Sharing Your experiences
Taxing Issues
Wildlife Matters

Tree Farmer - September/October 2011