Awarded at Louisiana Forestry Association convention

Ford and Bette Fallin of Alexandria were named the 2000 Outstanding Tree Farmers by the Louisiana Forestry Association (LFA). The award was presented August 30 during the annual meeting luncheon held at the Holiday Inn downtown in Alexandria.

Fallin is both a forest landowner and a forester. "It is very appropriate that the Outstanding Tree Farmer for 2000 is also the first graduate of the school of forestry at Louisiana Tech University," said C.A. "Buck" Vandersteen, executive director of the LFA.

Ford and Bette Fallin were judged the winners on their 71 acres in Rapides Parish but they also have two other tracts in Louisiana. He has 200 acres in Jackson Parish encompassing his family's 12-acre homestead plus 188 adjoining acres he has purchased. Bette also inherited 80 acres in Lincoln Parish and has added to it for a total of 200 acres.

"My first objective was to get the land in full production with desirable species," Fallin said. He incorporated a multi-use philosophy with wildlife areas suitable for hunting, leaving mast-bearing trees for wildlife forage. He closely watches all harvesting work on the farms to insure that recommended Best Management Practices are followed.

Retired from the Soil Conservation Service since 1980 with 30 years on the job, he has given plenty of advice to other landowners. He saw the value in owning and managing timberland, and the couple acquired their land in 1966, 1977 and 1980 and enrolled it in the Tree Farm program.

"It's a good feeling knowing that the land is not only giving a good economic return from the wood grown but there's also a value out there in the wildlife--the deer, turkeys and squirrels," Fallin said. "I have a feeling for the woods other than growing wood."