Becky and Lynn Minor named Washington’s 2024 Outstanding Tree Farmers of the Year

Tom Agens, chair of the Washington Tree Farm Program, introduced Becky and Lynn Minor as the Washington Outstanding Tree Farmers of the Year for 2024 and presented a nomination video and written statement describing their stewardship.

Casa Becca Del Norte, located about 60 miles north of Spokane, was described in the nomination as roughly 100 acres with a predominance of ponderosa pine, western larch and Douglas fir. The Minors’ prepared statement (read by Tom Agens) recounted decades of restoration work—planting roughly 11,000 trees since purchase, constructing more than 600 nest boxes, creating wildlife corridors, removing fencing and debris, and hosting educational field days for Washington State University and others.

In their written statement the Minors said the property will be donated to Washington State University to serve as a forestry research and education site. "The Minors intend to gift this property to Washington State University, which we will use for research and education to help become a community benefit," the statement read as presented at the meeting.

Why it matters: The award highlights private‑land stewardship and long‑term restoration efforts that panelists and speakers argued underpin both habitat outcomes and a sustainable forest products sector. The Minors’ plan to donate the farm for research underscores a linkage between private stewardship and public research and teaching.

Practical details: Casa Becca Del Norte was certified as a tree farm on 11/01/1999; the nomination highlights decades of volunteer work, wildlife monitoring (dozens of bird species), and active use of prescribed burning, pruning and thinning for restoration and fire mitigation.

The meeting proceeded to subsequent panels after the award presentation.