May 7, 2026 - Join the Texas Forestry Association in celebrating the 2026 Outstanding Tree Farm of the Year Tour from 9am to 1:30pm on Saturday, May 16, at the Gill Tree Farm in Shelby County.
This hands-on event is designed for landowners, foresters, loggers and others interested in practical timberland management. Participants will travel across the property on hay-covered trailers and ATVs, stopping at multiple sites to explore real-world management practices.
Presentations from landowner Glenn Gill and consulting forester Bobby Fuchs will cover topics including pine plantation establishment, basal area measurements, site preparation techniques and tree vendor selection. Attendees will also visit a streamside management zone and, weather permitting, observe a prescribed burn demonstration.
After touring the property, participants will be shuttled back to the front of the property, where they will enjoy a fish fry for lunch. Representatives from the U.S. Forest Service, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, and Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service will be available during lunch for a Q&A session.
The annual Outstanding Tree Farm of the Year award in Texas was presented to Glenn, Madeline, and Jason Gill by the Texas Forestry Association during its annual meeting on October 23, 2025.
The Gill family has managed their 278-acre tree farm since the early 1980s, assembling it from 14 separate tracts over the span of three decades. The property has been enrolled in the American Tree Farm System for more than 30 years. The Gills’ primary property management goals are timber production, recreation, and wildlife habitat. They follow the Eight Standards of the American Tree Farm System, including: best management practices, species identification, proper site preparation, wildlife management, and timber production and reforestation.
The American Tree Farm System, established in 1941, works to sustain forests, watershed and healthy wildlife habitats through the power of private stewardship by offering affordable forest certification for family forest landowners in the United States. Landowners who enroll in the American Tree Farm System (ATFS) are following a management plan that meets certain standards and guidelines that demonstrate a commitment to stewardship of the land and are part of the solution to meet the global demand for sustainable fiber by growing certified wood. Family forests certified to the American Tree Farm System are recognized by the Sustainable Forestry Initiative and qualify as certified forest content for the SFI on-product label.
There are 1,148 certified Tree Farms covering 414,825 acres in Texas.
To become a certified Tree Farmer, landowners must own 10 acres or more, manage the property under a written management plan that accounts for water quality, wildlife habitat, soil conservation and production of forest products; and protect the land from fire, insects, disease and destructive grazing. Qualified landowners committed to sustainable forestry have their property inspected, and if it meets Tree Farm standards, the landowner is enrolled in the Tree Farm System.
The event will take place at 12113 FM 699, Joaquin, Texas, 75954 (approximately 1 mile north of the HWY 84 & HWY 699 intersection).
There is no charge to attend, but participants must RSVP online at texasforestry.org or by calling the TFA office at (936) 632-8733. Space is limited, so register early. The deadline to register is Thursday, May 14.
Sponsors for the event include Louisiana Pacific, ArborGen, PRT Growing Services, Walsh Timber Company, Despino’s Tire Service, Scull Timber Company, Texas A&M Forest Service, and the Texas Forestry Association. Continuing education units will be offered for foresters and loggers.
