Page 18 - Tree Line - North Carolina Forestry Association - Fourth Quarter 2022

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Richard Taylor, procurement manager, shows a stack of finished plywood that’s waiting to be shipped. The words printed on the side of each panel say, “Columbia Forest Products – Old Fort” to identify where the panels were manufactured.
Q: What is your role in forestry in NC?
A: I wear a lot of hats as a forester in western North Carolina. My primary
role as a procurement forester for CFP has me working with loggers, landowners, consulting foresters, sawmills, and log yards to supply the mill with logs. I am also CFP’s certification manager, where
I work with stakeholders and auditors
to ensure that the management of our certified properties meets certain criteria.
I frequently engage the United States Forest Service to provide feedback about projects and management planning. I am an active member of the NCFA, both as a certified ProLogger and as a member on the Board of Directors, and I serve on my local Society of American Foresters (SAF) chapter. I serve on the Academic Advisory Board for HCC’s Natural Resource Program and I am on the DuPont State Recreational Forest Advisory Board, which is a group
of 12 individuals appointed by the state forester to provide advice on matters pertaining to the DuPont State Forest, and serve as a go-between for the local community and the forest supervisor.
Q: What lessons have you learned along the way that you would
do differently?
A: It’s hard to say I would do anything differently. I may not have learned
the lesson if I didn’t learn it the way I did. I would have liked to be aware earlier of the importance of managing people in forestry, as much as managing the forest. Maintaining relationships with loggers, suppliers, other sawmills, and landowners is key.
16 ncforestry.org / FOURTH QUARTER 2022