Eagle River–Chad Kirschbaum, District Ranger for the USFS- Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest has won the Mully Taylor Award, Trees For Tomorrow’s (TFT) highest honor awarded annually. The award recognizes an individual who has had a significant impact on Trees For Tomorrow and was presented to Kirschbaum at TFT’s Lumberjack Legacy Fundraiser Banquet on March 14, 2020 in Wausau, WI.
In 1943, to help with the war effort, Melvin “Mully” Taylor, an advertising representative from a newspaper in Merrill, Wisconsin led the charge to harvest pulpwood. After the campaign’s success, Taylor, along with nine WI paper mills, understood the need for an expanded reforestation effort. This group formed Trees For Tomorrow (TFT) in 1944 with Taylor as its first director. This was the beginning of an effort that would distribute tens of millions of seedlings to be planted across the state. TFT continues to celebrate Taylor’s accomplishments with an award in his name.
After assuming his current role with the USFS in 2017, Kirschbaum became an active member of TFT’s Advisory Council and volunteers his time to assist with TFT’s rebranding efforts and numerous campus clean-up projects. He recently hosted the Wisconsin Society of American Foresters on campus to promote the work of both organizations. Kirschbaum is well-connected with industry professionals and resources, and seeks opportunities for ways that they can work with each other to achieve success, especially with non-profit entities.
“The USFS is an important partner for us,” said Robin Ginner, Executive Director, TFT. “and because of Chad always thinking of ways to support Trees For Tomorrow, this relationship is stronger than ever and will continue to be a valuable asset to our organization long into the future.”
“It is a major honor for me to receive the Mully Taylor award,” said recipient Chad Kirschbaum. “My experiences as a youth at Trees for Tomorrow further ignited my interest in a natural resources career. I never imagined I would be helping to manage that site as professional!”
Kirschbaum continued, “I believe more than ever that TFT is a vital link to connect youth that have a budding interesting in natural resources to colleges and careers that will be very rewarding. Thank you again so much for this award, I can’t tell how much it means to see it all come full circle for me!”
Trees For Tomorrow is an accredited nonprofit natural resources specialty school that serves school groups throughout Wisconsin, Michigan and Illinois. Founded in 1944, Trees For Tomorrow’s mission is to promote sustainable management of our natural resources through transformative educational experiences. Our campus, located in the heart of Eagle River, includes National Forest property under permit from the USDA Forest Service.
