Here, at headquarters, fire warnings are received by telephone and radio, and fire fighters are dispatched with the speed of a city fire department. From that beginning the American Tree Farm system has spread to 19 of the 48 states. The Northwest Loggers Association directs the program in the Douglas fir region of western Washington and Oregon. In the South, the Southern Pine Association promotes the idea, but the sponsorship is by states or organizations within states. The Western Pine Association has assumed leadership in its region.
Sponsorship elsewhere is usually by state agencies or state forestry associations.
It partakes of a little of all these, yet it is primarily not one of them. Perhaps a definition and a brief description of its functioning will clarify its purposes. It is chiefly a form of recognition of a good job of woodland management. First, local standards, suited to local conditions, are adopted. These usually take into consideration both the owner's intent and his performance.