“Between every two pines is a doorway to a new world.” - John Muir
About Us
Rick Cantrell is President and CEO of BlackBriar Environmental LLC. Prior to establishing BlackBriar in October of 2012, Rick served as Vice President & Chief Operating Officer of the Sustainable Forestry Initiative, Inc. (SFI, Inc.). At SFI, Rick was responsible for general operations of the Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) Inc. program and served as staff executive for committees in several key issue areas, such as the development of the SFI Standards.
Prior to SFI, Rick worked at the American Forest & Paper Association in a variety of roles including the early development of the SFI program. Rick also served as the staff executive for numerous committees including the SFI Executive Committee, the Independent SFI External Review Panel, Water and Wetlands Committee, SFI Monitoring & Measurements Working Group, SFI Enhancements Task Group, Landowner Assistance Program Committee, and the Southern Forest Assessment Steering Committee.
Rick's extensive professional experience includes working as: a forest research associate at Auburn University, an extension forester at the University of Tennessee, a wetlands biologist for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and as a private forest management consultant.
Rick is the author of numerous publications, articles and editorials published in professional and trade journals and popular media on the subject of sustainability, standards and standards development, certification, forest and wildlife management, and effective outreach and educational programs. Rick is a trained and experienced speaker and has delivered hundreds of presentations to diverse audiences on sustainability and the conservation of natural resources.
Rick graduated with honors from North Carolina State University with a Bachelor of Science degree in forest management and from the University of Florida with a master's degree in forest science. Rick was the 1999 recipient of the Society of American Foresters' Young Forester Leadership Award and the 1990 recipient of the Kentucky-Tennessee Chapter of the Society American Foresters’ Outstanding Service in the Promotion of Forestry award.
Patricia A. Layton, Ph.D. is Senior Vice President for BlackBriar Environmental LLC, Pat has a diverse career in forestry. She served as the Director of Clemson University’s Wood Utilization + Design Institute and a professor of Forestry after completing her time as Director of the School of Agricultural, Forest, and Environmental Sciences (2010-2014), Chair of the Department of Forestry and Natural Resources (2003-2010) and its predecessor the Department of Forest Resources (1999-2003).
Pat was a Senior Director with the American Forest & Paper Association. She represented the industry in recycling, life cycle analysis, sustainability, and energy.
Before that, Pat was a Manager at Scott Paper Company and developed new forestry and marketing initiatives, including playing a vital role in developing the American Forest & Paper Association’s Sustainable Forestry Initiative Program. At Scott Paper, Dr. Layton served as the forest policy and technical lead on all of Scott Paper’s forestry investments and opportunities.
After her Ph.D., she joined Oak Ridge National Laboratory as a Research Associate in the Short Rotation Woody Crops Program. Before her Ph.D., she was a forest geneticist for Owens Illinois in Jasper, Texas.
Pat is a native of South Carolina and has forestry degrees from Clemson University, Texas A&M University, and the University of Florida.