California Tree Farmer of the Year 2007

Robert E. Kinsinger, 2007 Tree Farmer of the Year, resides in the community of Twain Harte, Tuolumne County, with a chocolate lab named Mike.  This mountain community was named in 1924 for two great writers of the California scene, Mark Twain and Bret Harte.  He moved there in 1983, after retiring as vice president of the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, a multi-billion dollar charitable foundation created by the man who introduced the world to corn flakes.  At age 84, Bob Kinsinger is what you would call a renaissance man being an accomplished hot air balloon pilot who’s flown over places like the North Pole, Mount Pinatubo in the Philippines, and the Great Wall of China.

Mr. Kinsinger’s tree farm contains 430 mostly-forested acres and has been under his ownership for the past 50 years.  His Timber Management Plan promotes sustained yield while providing habitat for wildlife and other forest resources.  Regarding his tree farm, Mr. Kinsinger’s first thought is always, “What’s good for the land…”  To that end, he has employed the most environmentally sensitive logging techniques, including cut-to-length and whole tree logging systems.  He has also chipped and removed several thousand tons of biomass in pre-commercial thinning projects to help prevent catastrophic fire. He said every few years trees are felled on his property both for fire protection and forest health.  When forests are too thick, he said, they create fire fuels, and trees stop growing because they’re competing for water and sunlight.  Mr. Kinsinger has invested heavily in promoting a healthy forest and recently gathered his whole family together for a tour and forestry lesson to promote his commitment to long-term tree farming.

Formal recognition of Mr. Kinsinger as “Tree Farmer of the Year for 2007” took place at the Annual Meeting of Forest Landowners of California on May 2, 2008, at the Best Western Sonora Oaks Conference Center and Hotel in Sonora.