First Place South Region
David Barnes
Kenly, NC

David Barnes thinks big and Wood-Mizer likes the way he thinks! When it came time for David to build a sign for his tree farm, we liked his thinking so much that he has been named 2007 Personal Best 1st Place winner in Category 6, Exterior Projects, for the South Region!

David Barnes didn't just build any little wooden sign; he built a 3,000 pound, 16' x 16', largest-of-its-kind in the country sign that has become a landmark in his community.

David purchased his Wood-Mizer sawmill in 1996 after Hurricane Fran blew down over 200 oak trees on their 120- acre farm. "I managed to saw around 20,000 board feet of white, red and swamp chestnut oak from some of the logs salvaged from the hurricane. I also put my sawmill into full production and sawed around 100,000 board feet for a neighbor that had major damage in a 50-acre southern yellow pine stand," says David.

David's one-man, forty-hour, and 2,500 board feet project began with a simple goal. "We needed a sign to identify our farm so the obvious decision was to build our own sign from lumber we sawed using our Wood-Mizer LT40 Hydraulic," he says. White oak was used for the entire sign. The main support posts are 14x14 inches. The section of the sign with words was cut on two sides only to preserve the natural look of the log.

David is a certified Environmental Educator and Forest Steward. His family owns Hatcher's Bridge Tree Farm (www.Hatchersbridge.com) where they grow trees for timber production. He was awarded Johnston County Soil and Water Conservation District's Tree Farmer of the Year in 2002. In 2007, he and his son, Kalen, were chosen as their River Friendly Farmers of the Year. He is also a certified tree farmer and member of the American Tree Farm Program.

This award by Wood-Mizer, adds another notch to the award-winning big thinking that a not-so-small sign project by David Barnes deserves. Congratulations David. Keep thinking...and dreaming...BIG!