awards
forester of the year
To be presented annually to a member of the Washington State Society selected to be recognized by his/her peers for contributing to both the profession and the public through application of his/her professional skills to the advancement of forestry in Washington and through public service that benefits his/her community or some larger segment of society. Past recipients.
Download nomination form here (pdf).
carl alwin schenck memorial award
Recognizes demonstrated and outstanding performance in the field of forestry education. Challenging and innovative forestry education is a founding principle of the Society of American Foresters and of the forestry profession. This award recognizes individuals whose educational efforts exemplify those of Carl A. Schenck, founder of the Biltmore Forestry School.
Richard A. Hopkins, this year's recipient, has been a full time faculty member in the Natural Resources Department, Technology Division at Green River Community College for the past 11 years. A caring and enthusiastic teacher, Hopkins is renowned for his tireless efforts to update and expand the Green River forestry curriculum and for dedicating himself to the success of his students. Fieldwork and field trips are two central components of his teaching and, thanks to his contacts at timber companies and natural resources organizations, he is able to provide his students with first-hand experience of forestry as it is practiced in the "real world."
Hopkins manages the college's 160-acre forest without compensation and guides his students in planning, implementing, contracting, and administering small harvest and road construction operations every other year. As adviser and faculty representative to the College's SAF student chapter, he has counseled his students on both academic and professional matters and pushes them to succeed by holding them to the program's motto: performance counts. He joined SAF in 1972.