Frederick County Forestry Board member Tom Anderson received the Mel Noland Award at the annual spring forestry board meeting on March 9th. A trained environmental scientist, Anderson also completed the Maryland Forest Conservation and Management Training courses at the University of Maryland in 2017 and is the longest serving member of the Frederick County Forestry Board at 29.
Mike Kay, Executive Secretary of the Board and Maryland State Forester, nominated Anderson for many reasons: He served for many years on the Board’s Executive Committee as Vice Chairman and Treasurer; He helped develop the popular Nature Notes newspaper column and newsletter. and he planned and hosted numerous workshops and training courses on everything from invasive species to wood technology. He was instrumental in developing the arboretum at South Frederick Elementary School and helping with tree measurements for the Maryland Big Tree Program. With his experience as a former environmental scientist, he actively inspects proposed logging sites, conducts assessments of the use of trees to improve and maintain the purity of our soil and water resources, operates a certified tree farm, and is a member of Frederick County’s Sustainability Commission and most recently on the Climate Working Group Emergency Mobilization.
The Mel Award is named after Mel Noland (1921-2010), a longtime member of the Baltimore County’s Forestry Board. He was a tireless volunteer in forest formation and tree planting efforts. The award is given to deserving members of the Forestry Committee who are nominated by their board or other bodies. In the past, the Frederick County Forestry Board has nominated Steve Thrasher, Ginny Brace, and Tyson Rose.
The Frederick County Forestry Board promotes the conservation, management and sustainable use of forest resources and urban landscapes. The board informs the public and is vigorously committed to local, regional and national forest ecosystems. visit frederick.forestryboard.org Information about our programs, events and resources.
