Clemson University’s Dr. Pat Layton Receives the 2025 SFI President’s Award for Promoting Urban Forest Certification, Forest Literacy, and Green Buildings

By: Sustainable Forestry Initiative via GlobeNewswire

May 21, 2025 at 13:01 PM EDT

MINNEAPOLIS, May 21, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Kathy Abusow, President and CEO of the Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) is proud to announce Dr. Patricia (Pat) Layton, Director of the Wood Utilization and Design Institute at Clemson University, as the recipient of the 2025 SFI President’s Award. Presented during SFI’s 2025 Annual Conference, the award recognizes Layton’s exceptional leadership and longstanding contributions to SFI and to urban forestry, forest literacy, and innovation in green building.

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^{Kathy Abusow, President & CEO of Sustainable Forestry Initiative (left) and Dr. Patricia (Pat) Layton, Director of the Wood Utilization and Design Institute at Clemson University (right)}

“It’s especially meaningful that Pat is being recognized with the President’s Award on our 30-year anniversary, since she’s been involved with SFI since its inception,” said Abusow. “Pat has shown what’s possible when sustainable forest management and education come together. Through her leadership, Clemson has become a model for how campuses can manage forests responsibly, engage students in real-world learning, and inspire future environmental stewards.”

Under Layton’s leadership, Clemson University became the first organization to achieve certification to the full SFI Urban and Community Forest Sustainability Standard. This certification demonstrates Layton and the Clemson team’s commitment to recognizing and promoting the role urban and community forests play in building healthier, more resilient communities.

Layton’s meaningful impact also extends to forest literacy and Project Learning Tree (PLT), an initiative of SFI. While Vice Chair of the SFI Board of Directors, she was influential in bringing the 2025 PLT Annual Conference to Clemson University, where PLT state coordinators, facilitators, and educators from across the country gathered to share best practices in environmental education and inspire one another. A long-time advocate for green jobs and youth engagement, Layton is committed to preparing the next generation to lead in the forest and conservation sector. The PLT conference also featured a field excursion to the SFI-certified Clemson Experimental Forest, further illustrating how sustainable forest management and hands-on education are connected.

Additionally, Layton is a nationally recognized voice in the advancement of mass timber and sustainable building materials. Her experience with green buildings and innovative wood use continues to guide SFI’s work in the mass timber market. Through her leadership at the Wood Utilization and Design Institute, she is helping position mass timber as a climate smart alternative in the built environment, linking forest health to low-carbon construction and community development.

“I am honored to receive this award from SFI. It is not only gratifying for me personally, but it also shows what can happen when two great institutions collaborate. SFI has been a major change agent in forest management in North America, and it has been a privilege to participate in its standards and programs over the years,” said Layton. “Clemson’s association with SFI has not only had a positive impact on the University and its community but has furthered our land-grant mission of fostering prosperity in South Carolina by taking innovative forest management practices and imparting them to the state’s many forestland owners through teaching, research, and Extension. I am delighted that Clemson and SFI are providing leadership to address these issues.”

As a member of the SFI Board of Directors, Layton has been instrumental in advancing SFI’s 2025-2030 Strategic Direction, including greater utilization of SFI programs to advance community priorities. The SFI President’s Award is given annually to recognize individuals or organizations demonstrating outstanding leadership in advancing sustainability through forest-focused collaboration. Layton’s vision and commitment exemplify the values of SFI and set the stage for continued innovation in forest-focused collaboration.

About SFI

The Sustainable Forestry Initiative® (SFI) advances sustainability through forest-focused collaborations. We are an independent, nonprofit organization that leverages four interconnected pillars of work: standards, conservation, community, and education. SFI works with the forest sector, conservation groups, academics, researchers, brand owners, resource professionals, landowners, educators, local communities, Indigenous Peoples, and governments. Collaborating with our network, we leverage SFI-certified forests and products as powerful tools to help solve sustainability challenges such as climate action, conservation of biodiversity, education of future generations, and sustainable economic development.

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/448dbb57-2826-4dec-a0ab-f19f83f5cc82

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