The Arkansas Department of Agriculture has named Pamela and Jim Jolly as the 2025 Forest Stewards of the Year. The couple has shown outstanding commitment to forest stewardship on their 222-acre Patton Tree Farm in Yell County. This farm, a certified tree farm, was previously recognized as the Arkansas Tree Farm of the Year in 2020.
Since 2012, the Jollys have managed their land under a stewardship-management plan that includes activities like pine thinning, road maintenance, controlled burns, and establishing a permanent firebreak. Their property contains both pine and hardwood timber. Pamela Jolly credits her father for instilling values of landownership and conservation, which she hopes to pass on to future generations.
Each year, the Jolly family undertakes a work project to maintain and enhance their forest, making it a collective family endeavor. Nominations for the Forest Steward of the Year are submitted by county and consultant foresters and reviewed by the Forest Stewardship Committee. This committee comprises representatives from various organizations including the Arkansas Department of Parks, Heritage, and Tourism; Arkansas Game and Fish Commission; Central Arkansas Water; Domtar Co.; Green Bay Packaging Co.; Kingwood Forestry; The Nature Conservancy; U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service; and Natural Resources Conservation Service.
The Forest Stewardship Program by the Arkansas Department Of Agriculture recognizes private landowners who manage their forests with a multi-use approach that supports timber production, wildlife habitat preservation, erosion control, water-quality protection, among other goals. There are over 1,200 certified forest-stewardship landowners in Arkansas. Private landowners with at least ten acres of forestland can participate in this program. More details can be found on [the Department’s website](https://www.agriculture.arkansas.gov/forestry/forest-stewardship-program/).
Information from this article can be found here.
