The Tennessee Forestry Association has announced that State Representative Stratton Bone has been honored as the organization’s 2009 Legislator of the Year. Representative Bone serves as Chair of the House Agriculture Committee. Chairman Bone represents District 46 which includes Wilson, Cannon and Trousdale Counties.
Chairman Bone understands agricultural and forestry related issues and has worked hard to ensure the viability of private forest landowners and the timber industry. In 2009, Chairman Bone sponsored a resolution that requested Tennessee’s Congressional delegation to only support federal energy legislation that included a definition allowing Tennessee grown wood to be used for biomass. Through Chairman Bone’s leadership, the resolution easily passed the House and later the Senate.
According to Candace Dinwiddie, Tennessee Forestry Association’s Executive Director, “Chairman Stratton Bone is truly a State Representative that approaches issues in a common-sense manner and relates to those Tennesseans who still make a living on the farm and in the forest. He is a strong leader and is willing to go the extra mile to make sure that our state’s forests will still be here for generations to come for both scenic value and production purposes. The Tennessee Forestry Association is very proud to honor Chairman Bone as our 2009 Legislator of the Year.”
The award was presented on October 8 at the Tennessee Forestry Association annual meeting held at Pickwick State Park in Hardin County. Over 240 TFA members from across Tennessee were on-hand to congratulate and thank Chairman Bone for his support.
The Tennessee Forestry Association includes 2,000 members representing sawmills, secondary wood manufacturers, pulp & paper companies, loggers, landowners and many other interested individuals and companies. For more information, please contact TFA at 615 883-3832 or view the organization’s website at www.tnforestry.com.