Satsop forestry program receives

FSC-Northwest Champion Award

Todd Bates, Grays Harbor College forestry instructor, also serves as forester for Satsop Business Park’s 1,200-acre forest. The forestry program won the 2011 Pacific Northwest Champion Award from the U.S. Forest Stewardship Council.

        The Satsop Business Park/Grays Harbor College forestry program has received the 2011 Pacific Northwest Champion Award from the U.S. Forest Stewardship Council.

  The award is given each year to a for-profit and not-for-profit organization operating in Oregon, Washington or Idaho that has demonstrated innovation, dedication and made extraordinary efforts to promote and expand participation in FSC certification. 

    “The Forest Stewardship Council so appreciates the partnerships that Grays Harbor College and the Satsop Business Park have put together to educate future generations about sustainable forestry and introducing them to FSC certification,” said Diane Moody, Northwest regional manager of the Forest Stewardship Council. The award was presented to Satsop Business Park CEO Tami Garrow May 1 at the annual meeting of the FSC-U.S. in Portland, Ore.

    “We are thrilled and honored to receive the award,” said Todd Bates, forestry instructor at Grays Harbor College. “The partnership between Grays Harbor College and Satsop Business Park to manage these natural resources has been a rewarding, challenging and educational experience for all of us.

    “Managing our forest resources in a contemporary manner while providing educational experiences to a varied suite of the public – college students, high school students, adult learners and continuing education – is a major objective in the mission of the Park,” he said.

    Currently, 20 students are enrolled in the program. Since the forestry classes began in the spring of 2009, 14 students have graduated from Grays Harbor College and 10 from Centralia College, earning an associate of applied science degree in natural resource technology. Ten core courses in natural resources are included in the program. 

FSC is a third-party, transparent certification system that ensures forests are responsibly managed to the gold standards of forest stewardship. The gold standards incorporate social, environmental and economic factors that are essential to sustaining all the rich resources a forest provides to its community. It is the only forest certification system supported by the leading world-wide environmental organizations.   

      “We are so honored by this award and so appreciative of all the hard work Todd Bates has done to build a vibrant 21st Century forestry program here at Satsop,” said Tami Garrow, CEO of Satsop Business Park.

      “It’s definitely been a win-win,” Bates agreed.

      And now with this champion award, it’s a win-win-win.