Page 13 - Tree Line - North Carolina Forestry Association - Fourth Quarter 2022

Q: Tell me about yourself! Our records Q: Tell me about Q: What is the biggest issue facing
your organization today?
A:We, like everyone in the industry, face year-to-year challenges, and
most of those piggyback off issues that
our clients face. We’re normally sowing next year’s crop while our client base is still actively planting this year’s crop. As
a genetically driven seedling provider,
we are very specific with our planning process. Our process requires us to ask our reforestation partners to provide us with
a forecast of what they will need a year
in advance, so as to be able to deploy the best genetics to meet their needs. There are many variables that can affect our partners’ plans, which in turn affects our plans. Variables like labor visas, market trends with reforestation, and weather can affect us significantly. Any weather event that slows harvesting has a direct impact on any silviculture practice downstream. If weather slows site preparation, it has the potential to push your planting window late or out completely.
Issues we face externally include awareness and understanding of the forest
show you joined the NCFA this year.
A:I grew up in the Piedmont — in Rockingham County, NC on a row
crop, mainly tobacco and cattle farm. I had a buddy whose family owned and operated a sawmill where I helped and learned the basics in cruising timber. I followed him
to Haywood Community College, where I received my Associate in Applied Science (AAS) degree in Forest Management Technology. From there, I transferred to NCSU and graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Forest Management.
I gained work experience along the way: leading forest work crews at both Haywood and NCSU, performing contract work on the Hofmann Forest, and spending time with the United States Forest Service (USFS) on a wildland fire crew.
After graduation from NCSU, I landed in eastern North Carolina, working for Weyerhaeuser at the Southern regeneration business at the Washington nursery. At that time, my job focused heavily on the production and culture of pine seedlings
in the nursery system. My agriculture background and forestry education seemed to marry here and I fell in love with the business. My wife and I left North Carolina in 2016 with our then two-month-old son and moved to Aiken, SC, where I took over as the Eastern Sales Manager and Safety Lead for Weyerhaeuser.
In October of 2018, I had the oppor- tunity to join IFCO Seedlings and manage seedling sales and clients between Virginia and the Carolinas. Our daughter was born shortly after, and we moved back to eastern North Carolina to be closer to family and more centralized to my client base. My wife would tell you I’m always working,
but when I’m not working, I enjoy sports and spending time outdoors with the family — fishing, hunting, and working on the family farms.
Q: What was your original reason for joining the NCFA?
A:I’ve been tied to the NCFA since I started my career, but was associated
professionally by both Weyerhaeuser
and IFCO Seedlings. I joined on as an individual this year to stay more in tune with the direction of the association and better track association communications. My goal was to become a more integral part of bridging the knowledge gap between our link in the North Carolina forest industry as a genetically driven seedling provider and the product purchasers/users.
your organization.
A: IFCO Seedlings came under the ownership of the Mobley family in
2004. The operations are headquartered in Moultrie, GA along with our sister company, Mobley Greenhouses. IFCO Seedlings owns and operates multiple bareroot and container nurseries located strategically across the Southeast.
Our container nurseries are located
in Louisiana, Georgia, Florida, South Carolina (in progress), and North Carolina, and our bareroot nurseries are located in Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, and North Carolina. Our North Carolina nursery
is one of our hybrid facilities where we produce both bareroot and container seedlings. A strong network of seed orchards that are set up for production
and collection of high-performing open-pollinated and control-pollinated selections supports the broad nursery network. The Mobley family continues
to make significant investments into technology, seed-producing complexes, nursery locations, and key personnel.
Rhodes Kelly explained cultural inputs for producing superior container stock, from sowing the seeds to shipping them out to clients.
ncforestry.org / FIRST QUARTER 2022 11