{"id":15733,"date":"2012-06-21T14:17:39","date_gmt":"2012-06-21T14:17:39","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/162.217.168.59\/?p=15733"},"modified":"2023-03-22T16:05:35","modified_gmt":"2023-03-22T20:05:35","slug":"skeet-burris-joins-sfi-board","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/forests.org\/fr\/skeet-burris-joins-sfi-board\/","title":{"rendered":"Award-winning Tree Farmer Skeet Burris Joins SFI Board"},"content":{"rendered":"

WASHINGTON<\/strong> \u2013 Award-winning tree farmer Dr. Skeet (A.G.) Burris of South Carolina has been\u00a0elected to the independent Sustainable Forestry Initiative Inc.\u00ae (SFI\u00ae) Board of Directors.<\/p>\n

Burris and his family turned an abandoned farm in Hampton County, SC, into a 2,700-acre (1,092-hectare) model tree farm certified to the American Tree Farm System (ATFS), winning many national,\u00a0state and regional conservation and forestry awards, including Private Conservationist of the Year,\u00a0Forest Landowner of the Year and National Outstanding Tree Farmer.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m proud to have been part of the SFI program since it began because it represents the kind of values\u00a0my family and I honor every day at Cypress Bay Plantation,\u201d Burris said today. \u201cSFI stands behind the\u00a0good work of tree farmers, opening up markets for our products and helping us practise sustainable\u00a0forestry. It is an honor to represent family forest owners on the SFI board.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAt SFI, we know how important tree farmers like Skeet Burris are to rural communities across North\u00a0America, and our standard requirements reflect this,\u201d said SFI President and CEO Kathy Abusow. \u201cDr.\u00a0Burris is a welcome addition to our board; he will bring a fresh perspective so we can continue to\u00a0address the needs of all North Americans fairly and responsibly.\u201d<\/p>\n

About 10 million family forest owners account for more than 60 percent of private forest lands in the\u00a0United States. Through its unique fiber sourcing objectives, the SFI program requires that all program\u00a0participants \u2013 both those who manage forest lands and those who buy raw materials \u2013 must show they\u00a0are sourcing fiber from responsible sources and sharing management and stewardship knowledge. SFI\u00a0Inc. collaborates with the American Tree Farm System to increase certification on family forest lands,\u00a0and accepts fiber from lands certified to Tree Farm standards as certified content for the SFI on product\u00a0label.<\/p>\n

The three-chamber SFI board represents environmental, economic and social interests equally, and\u00a0members include representatives of environmental, professional and academic groups, independent\u00a0loggers, family forest landowners, public officials, labor and the forest products sector. Burris replaces\u00a0Mary Motlow of Tennessee as the representative for family forest owners in the social chamber.<\/p>\n


BACKGROUNDER: Dr. A.G. (Skeet) Burris<\/strong><\/p>\n

Dr. Skeet (A.G) Burris is an orthodontist in South Carolina whose family owns 2,700-acre (1,092-hectare) Cypress Bay Plantation in Hampton County.<\/p>\n

Burris and his wife Gail bought an abandoned farm in 1986, and turned it into a model for tree farmers,\u00a0adding more lands over time as well as leasing 700 acres (283 hectares) and managing them for\u00a0wildlife such as white-tailed deer, wild turkey and common bobwhite.<\/p>\n

In addition to producing timber, Cypress Bay Plantation is a popular hunting location. The Burris\u00a0family planted close to 1 million trees, including valuable timber species such as longleaf and loblolly\u00a0pine, and five species of oak and ornamental trees as mast crops. They also planted grasses, forbs,\u00a0shrubs, grains, corn, and sunflowers to feed game and non-game species.<\/p>\n

Burris has worked with organizations such as Quail Unlimited, the Quality Deer Management\u00a0Association, the National Wild Turkey Federation, the South Carolina Waterfowl Association, South\u00a0Carolina Department of Natural Resources and Clemson University\u2019s Extension Service to improve\u00a0wildlife habitat.<\/p>\n

Cypress Bay Plantation has been the site of many field days and tours aimed at raising awareness of\u00a0the value of sustainable forest management among private forest owners. In 1999, it was the first tree\u00a0farm in the United States selected as a site for Forested Flyways, a project involving American Tree\u00a0Farm System, Ducks Unlimited, and International Paper that improved waterfowl habitat and promoted\u00a0sustainable forest management.<\/p>\n

Burris has won many national, state and regional conservation and forestry awards. National awards\u00a0included Private Conservationist of the Year (2001), Forest Landowner of the Year (2001), National\u00a0Outstanding Tree Farmer (2000), Outstanding Achievement in Sustainable Forestry Award (1999),\u00a0Rural Sportsman’s Stewardship Farm of the Year for Big Game Management (1999). State awards\u00a0included the Environmental Awareness Award (2003), Master Tree Farmer of the Year (2000), and\u00a0South Carolina Tree Farmer of the Year (1995).<\/p>\n

Burris served as member of the Sustainable Forestry Board (predecessor of the SFI Board of\u00a0Directors) from 2000 to 2003, and is currently Commissioner for the South Carolina Forestry\u00a0Commission. He also served on a number of forestry, business and professional associations\u00a0including National Tree Farm, the South Carolina Forestry Association and Forest Landowners. He\u00a0was founder of the Hampton County Forest Landowners and Wildlife Management Association.\u00a0Recently Burris has become active in land preservation through the use of conservation easements,\u00a0including placing conservation easements on his tree farm.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

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