Alexander Graham Bell once said “Great discoveries and improvements invariably involve the cooperation of many minds.”

At Plum Creek Florida, we’ve seen the truth of that statement demonstrated time and time again.  Collaborative partnerships are producing significant rewards for our company, and the communities where we live and work.   From economic development to wildlife research – there’s a buzz of excitement in and around Plum Creek’s Florida timberlands this spring.  We congratulate our partners on joint achievements, and look forward to many more in the years ahead.

WILDLIFE RESEARCH Plum Creek Plays Critical Role in Protection of Swallow-tailed Kites
Swallow-tailed kites start building nests in the Gulf Hammock Forest in early March.  Hatching begins in April and runs through May.

The swallow-tailed kite is a majestic, migrating bird that has very good taste in choosing a springtime home. And since 1997, Plum Creek has been working with experts in the field to protect its annual nesting grounds located throughout Florida's Gulf Hammock Forest.

Partnering with Partners in Flight, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, and renowned scientist Dr. Ken Meyer from the Avian Research and Conservation Institute, Plum Creek has remained committed to maintaining sustainable habitats for a diverse array of wildlife, including the popular kite.

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT Plum Creek and Columbia County Team Up for Job Creation
The partnership between Plum Creek and Columbia County was featured in the March edition of Florida Trend . Photo of Todd Powell, Director of Real Estate for Plum Creek Florida, by Jeffrey Camp for Florida Trend.

Year after year, Dr. Eric Jokela introduces a new crop of University of Florida (UF) undergraduate students to the world of forestry.  It’s a field that has changed dramatically since Dr. Jokela first joined the UF School of Forest Resources & Conservation in 1984 – yet amidst a constantly evolving curriculum of lectures and labs, one thing remains the same.  Every spring, he packs his students off to the woods to see how classroom lessons play out in the real world of production forestry.

Plum Creek foresters Steve Kennerly and Marshall Jacobson are the other unchanging elements of Dr. Jokela’s curriculum.  They’ve been leading his students on treks through local timberlands for 25 years.

COMMUNITY SUPPORT Foundation Grants Making Impact on Education
A Plum Creek Foundation grant will fund a two-day workshop for teachers in Columbia County.

As part of its mission to support organizations that provide needed services to residents in the communities where Plum Creek operates, the Plum Creek Foundation has just announced its grant awards for the first quarter of 2010, which includes two recipients in north Florida.

The Foundation focuses on organizations that serve through community service, education, environmental stewardship and the arts, providing nearly $60,000 in grants to Florida communities in 2009 alone. This quarter, both local recipients were focused on education -- the School District of Columbia County and the Flagler County Education Foundation.

Paddlers from throughout north and central Florida gather in Levy County every April to test their skills down the winding and surprise-filled Waccasassa River.  This year marked the 33rd  year of the Wild Hog Canoe & Kayak Race, and Plum Creek has been directly involved in the event for more than a decade as a sponsor and lending our foresters to race organizers and consultants.

Each year millions of seedlings are planted on Plum Creek lands – most to be harvested by the next generation.  With growth cycles that span decades, few foresters have the opportunity to reap what they sow.  Senior Resource Manager Bill Schlitzkus is a rare exception.  During the 45 years he’s been working the forests of north central Florida,  Schlitzkus has managed the full growth cycle from planting to harvest on thousands of prime timberlands – with some tracts now planted under his watch for a third time.

Schlitzkus began his career in 1965, when Owens Illinois hired him fresh out of the University of Georgia to work in the Hawthorne forest.   He’s been a constant presence ever since, managing timber operations throughout the succession of property owners including Great Northern Nekoosa and Georgia-Pacific prior to Plum Creek’s acquisition of the timberlands in 2001.  In his role as Senior Resource Manager, Schlitzkus oversees Plum Creek operations on approximately 250,000 acres.  He is responsible for planning and coordination of all reforestation and silvicultural treatments in a region stretching from his home base in Hawthorne up through Lake City.

An avid fisherman and hunter, Schlitzkus serves on the board of the Conservation Trust for Florida and makes his home in Cross Creek where he has raised two daughters.