WASHINGTON, D.C. (March 20, 2020)—The American Tree Farm System® (ATFS) is pleased to recognize Bob Obedzinski of Washington as the 2020 National Outstanding Inspector of the Year. Obedzinski was selected from among more than 2,500 inspectors nationwide for his exceptional on-the-ground work with family forest owners and commitment to the American Tree Farm System.

“Bob’s dedication and enthusiasm for the American Tree Farm System inspires countless others to feel that same passion,” said Tom Martin, president and CEO of the American Forest Foundation, which administers and oversees the ATFS program. “He puts his passion towards engaging more landowners across the state, and helping to strengthen, grow and increase the impact of ATFS.”

Obedzinski has been active in the Washington Tree Farm Committee since 2013. He is an active facilitator for inspector workshops and over the past 5 years has hosted facilitator trainings throughout the state for nearly 100 new inspectors.  His belief in the Tree Farm program and the landowners that participate in it inspires others to get involved.

ATFS is an internationally-known recognition and certification program that provides family and private forest owners with support and tools to keep their forests healthy and sustainable. It is administered at the national level by AFF, and run at the state level by volunteer committees. Currently there are more than 70,400 family forest owners in the program, managing more than 18.9 million acres. 

Inspectors in ATFS provide forestry advice and technical assistance to family forest owners, and certify their property meets rigorous third-party standards of sustainability. The Outstanding Inspector of the Year award annually recognizes those inspectors who go above and beyond the call of duty to serve the ATFS community. Obedzinski was among four regional Outstanding Inspectors who were also awarded for their achievements – Rob Clark of Maryland was awarded the North East Region Outstanding Inspector of the Year,  Cathy Hardin of Florida was awarded the Southern Region Outstanding Inspector of the Year, and Jake Peer of Ohio was awarded the Midwest Region Outstanding Inspector of the Year.  

Obedzinsk received his national award on February 27 at the 2020 ATFS National Leadership Conference in Baltimore, Maryland.

Contact: Elizabeth Greener; (202) 253-1096; egreener@forestfoundation.org

The American Tree Farm System® is a network of 73,000 family forest owners sustainably managing 19 million acres of forestland. ATFS is the largest and oldest sustainable woodland program in the United States, internationally recognized, meeting strict third-party certification standards. The American Tree Farm System® is a program of the American Forest Foundation, a national forest conservation organization that works on the ground with families, partners and elected officials to promote stewardship for healthier forests.