The Forest Landowner Foundation is a non-profit organization that supports FLA’s efforts to:

The Foundation focuses your contributions in the following areas:

• Growth in markets projects
• Facilitation and collaboration of diverse forest stakeholders to create solutions for ensuring stewardship of private forests, market access, and generational transfer of forestland
• Providing resources for the successful ownership and management of family forest lands
• Education and scholarships of the next generation of forestry professionals

Foundation President

Joe Hopkins—Folkston, GA

As a fourth generation forest landowner from Southeast Georgia, Joe Hopkins has been involved in forestland management all his life. After graduating from Emory University in 1974 and Mercer Law School in 1977, he practiced law until 1989 when he closed the practice to manage personal and family timberland full time. Joe has been a member of the FLA since 1993, elected to the Board of Directors in 2005 and currently is Chairman of Governmental Affairs. He has served on the Board of Directors of the Georgia Forestry Association since the early 90’s, serving as President in 1997. In addition, Joe was a founder of the Greater Okefenokee Association of Landowners, which was formed in 1994 to coordinate the forest landowner’s needs with the fire fighting and prevention resources to combat forest fires that threaten landowners around the Okefenokee Swamp. Joe has also have served on the Joint Georgia House and Senate Future of Forestry Study Committee and Georgia Land Conservation Partnership.

Executive Vice President

Scott Jones—Atlanta, GA

Scott Jones joined FLA in 2003 and has a Bachelor Science degree in forest resources from the Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources at the University of Georgia and is an SAF Certified Forester as well as a Georgia Registered Forester. He spent five years in land management and procurement with a paper company in North Florida and has worked on Government Affairs issues dealing with forestry for the Georgia Forestry Association and the Southeastern Lumber Manufacturers Association.

Foundation Treasurer

Jane Hearn—Valdosta, GA

Jane Hearn was born in Oxford, Mississippi, but did most of her growing up in south Georgia. She is the daughter of W.F. Frederick, a forestry business owner, and is married to Dr. Jackson Hearn, an agricultural scientist in citrus research. Her father bought her first forestland tract for Jane when she was 18. Jane later graduated summa cum laude from the University of Georgia. By age 28, she owned most of the family’s eight tracts. About 15 years later, she began her active involvement in the management of her own forests, and developed an intense interest in forestland and landowners. In June of 2000, she represented Georgia forest landowners at the “EPA Rules Public Meeting,” sponsored by congressmen Sanford Bishop, Jr. and Saxby Chambliss. Her first speaking engagement was an exciting one—she represented private forest landowners across the United States at President Clinton’s “White House Conference on Climate Action,” held in Washington, DC in 1994. She serves on the Forest Landowners Association’s executive board as a regional vice-president. In order to seminars, meetings, and even a few roundtable discussions. However, she is convinced that the best way to learn about the “Family Tree” is through personal experience.

Trustee

David Hall—Meridian, MS

David Hall is the Chief Operating Officer of Hall Timberlands, managing approximately 58,000 acres of family owned land in East- Central Mississippi. David is a Registered Forester in the state of Mississippi and holds a Bachelor of Science in Forest Management and an Masters of Business Administration from Mississippi State University. Currently, he serves as the Vice-President of the Lauderdale County Forestry Association, is an active member of the Mississippi Forestry Association, an Eagle scout and Vice-President of Properties for the Choctaw Area Council of the Boy Scouts of America, Vice- President of the Magnolia State Branch of the Quality Deer Management Association, and serves on the Board of Directors for both the Wesley House Community Center and Rotary Club in Meridian, Mississippi. A member of the Forest Landowners Association for over 10 years, he has helped organize local events in both Meridian and Hattiesburg, participated in FLA’s Advocacy Day in Washington, D.C., and serves on the FLA Board of Directors.

Trustee

W. Earl Smith—Greensboro, GA

Trustee

Johney Haralson—Denmark, SC

Haralson is also a Board member of the Forest Landowners Association, Chair of the South Carolina Forestry Association, and a member of the South Carolina Sportsmens Coalition. He is a past president of the South Carolina Wildlife Federation, a past president of the Salkehatchie Forestry Association, and a Commissioner of the Bamberg County Soil & Water Conservation Commission. He serves on the South Carolina Tree Farm Committee and was South Carolina Tree Farmer of the Year 2003-2004 and Southeastern Tree Farmer of the Year 2007. He is active with the National Wild Turkey Federation, Quail Unlimited, Ducks Unlimited, South Carolina Waterfowl Association, and is a Century Member with Indian Waters Council of the Boy Scouts of America. Haralson is married to his wife of 40 years, the former Roxie Varn. They have two children, Kristen H. Rucker and Kacey L. Haralson.