Just months after the establishment of the nation’s first Century Forest program, 23 families from all corners of Virginia were inducted Monday, November 21 into the inaugural class that honors those who have owned their forestland for 100 years or more during a ceremony at Montpelier, home of President James Madison and Father of the U.S. Constitution.
Deputy Secretary of Agriculture and Forestry Sam Towell and State Forester of Virginia Bettina Ring oversaw the induction ceremony and presented each honoree with a certificate from Gov. Terry McAuliffe and a Century Forest sign that will be posted at a prominent site on their land.
“To qualify for the Century Forest program means that the property has been passed down through the family for the equivalent of at least five generations,” said Deputy Secretary Towell. “The shortest tenure of ownership in the inaugural class is 105 years; the longest is 235 years! That means this particular family took ownership of this land just five years after the American Colonists declared their independence from England but had yet to win that independence until the Battle of Yorktown—which took place eight months after the land was purchased.”
State Forester Bettina Ring said, “These families and their ancestors built Virginia and they built America. What a fitting recognition of their achievements this is—being part of the first group in the nation’s first Century Forest program.”
Those inducted into the program include E. Fulton Clark of Stuart, who owns land that has been in the family for 207 years. The 657 acres was purchased in 1809 by Gabriel Penn—Clark’s great, great, great, great-grandfather. The family has worked closely with the Department of Forestry since 1951, and the property was a stop on the 2013 Fall Forestry and Wildlife Field Tour.
C. Michael Hodges and James R. Hodges from Henry County own Hemlock Haven Farm LLC. At 235 years, this is the oldest family-owned property in the inaugural class of the Century Forest program. The 213 acres were purchased by Henry Dillion on February 1, 1781 by two land grants signed by then-Governor Thomas Jefferson.
The Century Forest program was created by the General Assembly in the 2016 session. The bill, SB252, was patroned by Sen. Frank Ruff and passed unanimously in both chambers. Governor McAuliffe signed the bill into law March 21 at a ceremony inside the Executive Mansion.
Forestry is the third largest industry in the Commonwealth contributing $17 billion a year to the Virginia economy and providing employment to more than 104,000 Virginians (1 out of every 33 adult workers). There are 410,000 private individuals and families who own most of the 16 million acres of forestland in Virginia.
