WASHINGTON, DC, (September 21, 2005)-The American Forest & Paper Association has awarded its 2005 Forest Management Award to Hancock Timber Resource Group for its Snoqualmie Forest Development Rights Sale project in King County, Washington. The award, presented annually to an AF&PA member company for excellence in forest management, was presented at the 2005 Sustainable Forestry Initiative® Annual Conference on September 21, 2005 in Portland, Maine.

The Snoqualmie project was a collaborative effort between Hancock Timber Resource Group (HTRG), King County, Washington and the Cascade Land Conservancy. In December 2004, HTRG sold the development rights of 90,000 acres of the Snoqualmie Forest, located on the Puget Sound in King County, to the county, thus eliminating any threat of residential or commercial development on this land.

This agreement, one of the nation's largest land conservation actions so close to a major metropolitan area, forever preserves the forest from the increasing pressures of development. Serving as the buffer between the greater Seattle metropolitan area and the Cascades Alpine Wilderness, the Snoqualmie Forest contains two major river forks, numerous lakes and mountains, and diverse wildlife populations. Permanently ending development of this land will have a positive impact on the region's water quality, wildlife habitat and population, vegetative biodiversity and air quality.

"Hancock Timber Resource Group's contribution to forever preserve this working forest from development is a shining example of the many excellent programs developed by AF&PA members in support of the Sustainable Forestry Initiative® (SFI) program and conservation," said AF&PA President and CEO W. Henson Moore. "We sincerely appreciate the dedication and commitment of HTRG in the advancement of forest management and land conservation partnerships."

AF&PA is the national trade association of the forest, paper and wood products industry. AF&PA represents more than 200 companies and related associations that engage in or represent the manufacture of pulp, paper, paperboard and wood products. The forest products industry accounts for approximately 7 percent of total U.S. manufacturing output, employs 1.5 million people, and ranks among the top ten manufacturing employers in 42 states. Visit AF&PA online at www.afandpa.org.