Forestry Profession Honors Jenkins at Pittsburgh Convention

Pittsburgh, Pa. – The Society of American Foresters, at its national convention on Oct. 26, will recognize Dylan Jenkins of The Nature Conservancy in Pennsylvania for raising the bar on forest management in the region and for making a significant impact on how the Commonwealth and neighboring states protect our natural heritage.

Dylan Jenkins, director of Forest Conservation for The Nature Conservancy in Pennsylvania, has been named the recipient of the 2006 National Young Forester Leadership Award by the Society of American Foresters.

Jenkins was recognized for his work in Virginia and Pennsylvania as well as his contributions to the SAF National Committee on Forest Policy and SAF position statements on legislative and federal agency rule-making proposals.

Through his work at The Nature Conservancy, Jenkins designs and implements programs to protect ecological and economic values of forestlands by demonstrating the value of working forests and the importance of using science-informed management to achieve forest conservation goals.

“Healthy forests equal economic and ecological opportunity,” said Jenkins. “Core, untouched forested areas are an essential but small part of the landscape. To protect them, we have to build and maintain the excellence of surrounding working forests through sustainable forest management, including timbering. Through these methods, we’re helping both nature and the people who live in those communities.”

“The Nature Conservancy achieves lasting results by finding common ground with communities and partners,” explained Bill Kunze, director of The Nature Conservancy in Pennsylvania. “Working together, we can ensure the diversity of life on Earth and enrich the quality of life now and for future generations. We’re very proud that Dylan’s work has been recognized as a crucial part of the forestry profession’s long-term success.”

In addition to his work at The Nature Conservancy, Jenkins also serves on SAF's Certification Review Board which oversees the Certified Forester Program. He was the SAF Virginia Division chair in 2000-01 and a founding board member of the New River Land Trust in Virginia. His accomplishments include the nationally-recognized Virginia Forest Landowner Short Course Series, which focuses on sustainable management for private forest landowners and features the nation's first web-based forest landowner course.

Jenkins will receive the award at the 86th Annual Society of American Foresters National Convention in Pittsburgh on Oct. 26. The presentation will be made at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center.

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The Nature Conservancy is a leading international, nonprofit organization that preserves plants, animals and natural communities representing the diversity of life on Earth by protecting the lands and waters they need to survive. To date, the Conservancy and its nearly one million members have been responsible for the protection of more than 15 million acres in the United States—including more than 40,000 acres in Pennsylvania —and have helped preserve more than 102 million acres in Latin America, the Caribbean, Asia and the Pacific. For more information, visit nature.org/pennsylvania.