ALBANY, GA. — John Godbee, manager of F&W Forestry Services, Inc.’s forest certification and quality assurance group, has been awarded the Georgia Forestry Association’s (GFA) Wise Owl Award for 2017.

GFA has awarded the Wise Owl annually since 1980 to an individual who has made significant contributions to strengthening the forest industry in Georgia for landowners and businesses. Godbee was presented the award at GFA’s annual meeting at Jekyll Island, Ga., in July.

“Godbee was selected for his many years of service to the Forestry Association and Forest industry in Georgia,” GFA said in a news release announcing the award. “Godbee put action behind one of the Association’s Core Principles of maintaining healthy markets by promoting the use of Georgia’s number one renewable resource. He served on the International Forest Industry Roundtable which led to mutual recognition between the various international forestry certification standards and enabled Georgia’s forest products to be more freely traded in international markets.”

Godbee, who has lead environment-related activities at F&W since 2001, joined the firm after a distinguished career in industrial forest management at International Paper Co. and Union-Camp Corp. While at Union-Camp, he served on a pulp and paper industry committee that developed the Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) in 1994.

“John is an obvious choice for the Wise Owl Award,” said Marshall Thomas, president of F&W. “He has given over 30 years of continuous and wise leadership through various facets of the Georgia Forestry Association.”

Godbee earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in forest entomology from the University of Georgia and began his forestry career as a pest management specialist at the Georgia Forestry Commission. In addition to being a member of the Georgia Forestry Association, he is involved with the Association of Consulting Foresters, the Society of American Foresters, and Rotary International. He is a native and resident of Brooklet, Ga., and operates out of F&W’s Statesboro office.

http://gfagrow.org/2017-wise-owl-award/?mc_cid=269d257a6a&mc_eid=349a6dc420

About F&W:
Established in 1962, F&W Forestry Services, Inc., of Albany, Ga., is one of the nation’s oldest and largest forest resource consulting and management firms. The company handles timber sales, provides comprehensive forest management and consulting services, and offers real estate services. The company maintains a network of 24 offices in 13 U.S. states comprising the Southern Pine Belt, the Central and Appalachia regions, and the Northeast. F&W also manages private forestland internationally through 11 offices located in Uruguay, Brazil, France, and the United Kingdom.

9.1.2017