When David Brown inherited 2,000 acres of forests in Lincoln County nearly 20 years ago, he said he knew nothing about forestry. He traveled to the University of Arkansas at Monticello and one of the professors took him under his arm and helped educate him about his land.
Now in 2021, Brown is returning the favor with a scholarship.
A procurement forester, Andrew Hilton recently presented the Brown and Wild Turkey Timber Scholarship to Brett Cunningham, a student in the UAM College of Forestry, Agriculture and Natural Resources.
Hilton is a representative of Silvicraft Inc., the company that manages Brown's timberland.
"I owe a huge debt to the graduates of the School of Forestry and am pleased to be able to help a deserving student to further his career," said Brown.
Hilton said Brown and his wife, Susan, live in Irvine, Calif.
Brown said he would have liked to meet with Cunningham, but covid-19 has restricted flights. Brown plans to meet with the Ennis, Texas, native later this spring when flights return to normal.
Cunningham is a junior majoring in the forestry option of the Natural Resources Management degree. After graduation, he hopes to manage timber properties for production and other wildlife populations, he said.
Cunningham said his interest in forestry began when he was a young child. A career in forestry will allow him to use his interest in math and his problem-solving skills.
Hilton said the Browns are interested in finding professionals for the future.
"They are good private landowners interested in giving back," Hilton said.
Hilton said the Browns are second-generation landowners soon to be a third. He says they have two sons, Andrew, a California lawyer, and Chris, who works in Washington, D.C. It was Brown's sons who named the land the Wild Turkey Timber.
The entire family has the same mentality, Hilton said.
They "want to make sure we have people in place to leave the land intact and better than when they found it and manage it and the wildlife." They believe Cunningham met those standards.
In addition to their forestland, the Browns also operate a rice farm outside Star City. He said he comes to the property nearly a dozen times a year, but because of the pandemic, his visits were limited in 2020-21.
Hilton is a 2008 graduate of the UAM Forestry program. He received his Bachelor of Science degree in forestry.