• Lee Hensley of the Asheville Watershed Management Team won the 2020 Root Cause Award for working to steward the 20,000-acre watershed that benefits the entire community. Clean and abundant water is a result of careful planning and wise forest stewardship. 
• Mark Megalos, a forestry professional with N.C. State Cooperative Extension, received the Lifetime Achievement Award for his 34 years as a leader in North Carolina forestry. A professor in the N.C. State College of Natural Resources, Megalos’ skills in conservation planning and dedication to landowner education earned him this award. 
• Teresa and Bruce Pittillo received the 2020 EcoForester of the Year Award for demonstrating ecologically beneficial forestry on their land. Proactive forestry, forest stewardship planning and invasive species control efforts are all in use on their property. 

EcoForesters is a nonprofit forest management group in Asheville whose mission is to conserve and restore Appalachian forests through education and stewardship.  Each year, award winners are chosen who exemplify EcoForesters’ mission and approach to forest stewardship.