California Tree Farmers of the Year 2002
The Allen Edwards Family consists of Allen, wife Nancy, son Collin 13 and Sarah 10, and mother Jeannette Edwards.  His father Milton Edwards established the Tree Farm in 1948.  They have a 50 Year Tree Farm sign.  Son Collin has helped his father a lot on the Tree Farm and the 720-acre timber property was also certified in 1948.  Allen, a retired California Energy commission senior economist, does all of the work on the tree farm including tree planting, thinning, and planning timber sales. 

Edwards has been very active in Forest Landowners of California, an association of non-industrial timberland owners, as Director, 1st Vice President and Treasurer.  He has been active for many years in the Placer County Resource Conservation District (RCD), as President and Board member.  He has served as Chair of the Forestry Committee for the state RCD Association and he is a founding member of the American River Watershed Group.  In an article published in “Forest Landowner” Spring 2002 issue, Allen Edwards writes,

            ”55 years ago, when my father bought the property, it was essentially cut-over railroad land, largely covered with wed oaks and brush, but with scattered large conifers and fair conifer reproduction, mostly Douglas fir, under the oaks and brush.  From the 1950’s through the early 1980’s, we did Timber Stand Improvement (TSI) on about 350 acres, including substantial had and squirt treatment of weed oaks.  Since the early 1980’s, we have treated another 150 or so acres.

            During the 30 years my father owned the farm, and for the first 20 years of my ownership, our farm was a part-time operation.  Since late 1996, I have been able to work the farm full-time.  I have intensely treated about 100 acres, concentrating on about 60 acres of shaded fuel breaks and fire safe roads. 
            I spend great effort in protecting my forest.  Despite the heavy loss we suffered last summer in the Ponderosa fire, my fuel break work over the past several years has been worth the effort.  My main shaded fuel break allowed CDF to stop the fire and save 80% of our farm.  In addition, our thinning and release has substantially reduced our risks of insects and disease damage.  I continue trying, unfortunately with no obvious success, to protect the farm from our biggest risk – destruction of our operation and our ownership by government over-regulation.

            In terms of aesthetics, one might consider the farm as my massive art project.  I have a particular look that I am working to achieve on our farm.  I don’t want a tangled wilderness; I want a well tended tree farm.  And achieving that look, acre by acre as I work, is often what motivates me to keep trying.”

The Edwards Tree Farm has been the site of many tours and visiting groups over more that 20 years, including Forest Landowners of California, many RCD Workshops, 4-H groups and Colfax Elementary School classes.  Allen has given a number of speeches and presentations on forest issues to various groups and has testified on forestry issues before several legislative committees, both Senate and Assembly, the Board of Forestry and Fire Protection, the Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board, the Placer County Planning Commission, and the local Air Quality Management District.