Leslie Merriken is Delaware's Tree Farmer of the Year

For her extensive work in forestry conservation and education, Leslie Merriken received Delaware's 2017 Tree Farmer of the Year Award at the Delaware Forestry Association annual meeting in Bridgeville. The honor recognizes landowners who practice exceptional management and promote sustainable forestry.

The American Tree Farm System was established in 1941 and is one of the oldest forest landowner organizations. Delaware's first tree farm was certified in 1959; today there are more than 200 tree farms covering over 20,000 acres.

For the past 30 years, Merriken has been a forceful advocate for forest stewardship planning and multiple resource management embodied by the Tree Farm model: "Wood, Water, Recreation, Wildlife." She owns and manages more than 1,000 acres in Delaware that have been in the Merriken family for generations and are recognized by the Delaware Century Farm program: the historic 600-acre Fairplay Farm near Greenwood and the 440-acre California Farm west of Harrington, which dates to 1752.

This past year, she completed a successful 245-acre thinning that accounted for the presence of bald eagle nests. She partnered with the Delaware Forest Service to begin work on a 300-acre timber stand improvement project. In addition, she received funding from the Natural Resources Conservation Service to improve oak species on a 23-acre tract to enhance wildlife habitat.

Merriken's outstanding dedication to forestry has earned her this accolade before: In 2007, she shared the Tree Farmer of the Year Award with her husband Cal, who passed away in 2008. Calvert Merriken himself first won the award back in 1978.