Page 15 - Tree Line - North Carolina Forestry Association - Third Quarter 2023

You Found It’
Q: Tell me about yourself. Our records show you’ve been an
NCFA member since 1992.
A: Rita and I have been married 34 years with two children, Marshall
and Maggie. We are going into the empty- nest phase of our lives, as our daughter just married in June this year. I love spending time on the farm, spending time with my retriever, spending time with family and friends.
In high school, I played sports, football and baseball. I loved football and my dad was my biggest fan. He loved watching me play full back and middle linebacker. After that, I went to Chowan University for two years and transferred to North Carolina State University, graduating with a Bachelor of Applied Science (B.A.Sc.) in Forestry in 1984.
After college, I worked for Union Camp in Florida as a land management forester, then came home to North Carolina and worked for a local consultant until 1991. My first procurement experience was with Coastal Lumber Company in Weldon, and then I was
hired to do procurement by Weyerhaeuser Wood Products in Plymouth for five- and-a-half years. I wanted to broaden
my horizons and work in hardwood procurement, so I went to Georgia Pacific in 1998 and procured logs for their mill
in Enfield until 2003, when they sold the mill to Alleghany Wood Products. I am so glad I worked there because I got to see some of the most beautiful hardwoods in eastern North Carolina.
I was offered a position in 2007 in West Virginia when the mill shut down, but I did not want to leave my farm. I guess you could call it divine timing, because there was an opening at Domtar in Plymouth at the same time Alleghany Wood Products closed the Enfield location. In 2007, the Weyerhaeuser paper mill was in the process of being purchased by Domtar and converted to a fluff pulp mill. I have been with Domtar Plymouth since 2008 — 15 years.
One bald cypress tree on Chuck Daniels’ land is at least 700-800 years old based on his and other professionals’ calculations.
Q: What was your original reason for joining the NCFA?
A: I joined because I had friends in the business involved in the
NCFA. I watched what they were doing and decided if they were busy and felt it important to donate their time, this must be an important organization. Once I
got involved with outreach that involved school kids and teachers, I realized how much I enjoy spending time talking about forestry to teachers and students and seeing the lightbulb come on for them where they understand our industry.
Q: What is the history of your for- estland and why do you own it?
A: The reason I own my land is not for investment — it’s for love of my family,
ancestry, heritage, love of the land, and love of the practice of forest management. I’m only limited by my imagination in what I get to do with my land.
In 1797, my ancestor purchased the farm. He was a cooper by trade and made whiskey barrels, some for tar and pitch for naval stores conscripted by the British military. After the American Revolution, he continued his trade. The location of
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