FARMINGTON – Western Mountains Alliance honored Maine WoodNet, a regional nonprofit dedicated to rural values and the environment, as its winner of the 2005 King Cummings Leadership Award.

The award is given biennially in honor of the late King Cummings, founder of the alliance.

Maine WoodNet encourages wood-use efficiency and supports improved forest stewardship. It provides ongoing education to its members on how to grow their businesses in environmentally friendly ways and was among the first in the nation to have certified “chain of custody” of their wood products. This assures wood comes from certified forests and that the entire process ecologically sustainable, from log to consumer. Coordinator Chris Krauss accepted the award.

More information in on the Web at www.westernmountainsalliance.org; www.mainecf.org; and www.mainewoodnet.org.