SAF 2002 National Award Winners

The award winners were approved at an SAF Council meeting held June 8–9, in Winston-Salem. The awards process begins with written nominations and references by professional peers. The Forest Science and Technology Board or the Committee on Professional Recognition then reviews the nominations. These two bodies forward their recommendations to the SAF Council for its review and approval.

The rigorous review process produces candidates with a national profile and a comprehensive history of sustained contributions to the forestry profession and service to the public.

Sir William Schlich Memorial Award recognizes broad and outstanding contributions to the field of forestry with emphasis on, but not limited to, policy and national or international activities.

James W. Giltmier
Giltmier, past executive director and senior fellow at the Pinchot Institute for Conservation, has been involved in the forest policy arena for more than three decades. As a staff member for the US Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry from 1971 to 1981, Giltmier played a central role in the development of the Forest and Rangeland Renewable Resources Planning Act of 1974, the National Forest Management Act of 1976, and the Soil and Water Resources Conservation Act of 1977 – three key laws that have set the direction for the USDA Forest Service and the Natural Resources Conservation Service. More recently, Giltmier’s careful efforts throughout the past 12 years to bring together representatives of differing interests, mediate discussions among them, and build consensus has made his work at The Pinchot Institute successful and valuable to the forestry profession. Giltmier was given an honorary SAF membership in 1982.

Carl Alwin Schenck Award recognizes excellence in the field of forestry education through devotion to instruction in forestry, outstanding service to professional education, maintenance of an active career that sets high standards for students, and the development of innovative teaching methods or education programs.

Brian P. Oswald
Oswald exemplifies the work of Carl Schenck through his dedication to and involvement with his students. Oswald’s courses combine well-organized, theory-based lectures with practical field experiences – a technique Schenck developed at the Biltmore School. Oswald’s engaging, student-oriented lectures combine to form a cohesive body of information concerning fire ecology, silviculture, and range management that serve his students well in their professional careers. The author of numerous publications and peer-reviewed articles, Oswald’s work has appeared in the Journal of Wildland Fire, Forest Ecology and Management, Forest Science, Journal of Range Management, and many more. He has also authored two books and received more than $1,300,000 in grants. Oswald holds a bachelor’s degree in forestry from Michigan State University; a master’s degree in forestry from Northern Arizona University; and a PhD in forestry, wildlife, and range sciences from the University of Idaho. Oswald is currently an associate professor of fire ecology, silviculture, and range management at Stephen F. Austin State University. Oswald joined SAF in 1980.

John A. Beale Memorial Award recognizes outstanding efforts over a sustained period by an SAF member in the promotion of forestry through voluntary service to the Society.

William C. Siegel
An SAF member since 1954, Siegel has given nearly 48 years of service to the Society at the local, state, and national levels. Throughout his years of SAF membership, Siegel has held such volunteer positions as state and chapter chair of the Louisiana SAF, SAF Council Member (1990–92), Louisiana policy chair (1993), SAF vice-president (1994), president (1995), trustee of the SAF Insurance Trust (1997), and Centennial Campaign Steering Committee member (1999). After a 33-year career in the USDA Forest Service, Siegel retired in 1993 as chief forest economist and project leader for forest law, taxation, and economics research. Siegel holds a bachelor’s degree in forestry and a master’s degree in forest economics from Michigan State University and a JD from Loyola University of the South. Siegel was elected an SAF Fellow in 1986.

Young Forester Leadership Award recognizes an SAF member under age 40 for his or his outstanding leadership in the development and promotion of an individual program or project, or for a sustained leadership role benefiting the practice of forestry and the Society of American Foresters.

Michael T. Goergen, Jr.
The senior director of forest policy and programs for the Society of American Foresters, Goergen is widely respected within the policy arena of the forestry profession for his ability to effectively represent the interests of forestry on the national stage as well as for his leadership abilities within Washington, DC’s, diverse natural resources community. Most recently, Goergen played an integral role in the development of the 2002 Farm Bill’s forestry title that, for the first time, will provide landowners guaranteed funding for professional forestry assistance. In addition to his work with SAF, Goergen also serves as chair of the National Council on Private Forests and as cochair of the Policy Task Group of the Communities Committee of the Seventh American Forest Congress. Goergen holds a master’s degree in forestry, policy, and administration and a bachelor’s degree in environmental studies, policy, and management from the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry–Syracuse.

Outstanding Journalism Award recognizes high quality journalistic coverage of topics that increase the American public’s understanding of forestry and natural resources.

Tom Knudson
Knudson began his journalism career at the Des Moines Register in 1980 after graduating from Iowa State University. After a two-year stint at The New York Times, Knudson became an environmental reporter at The Sacramento Bee in 1988. Along the way, he won a Pulitzer Prize in 1985 for a series on occupational health hazards in agriculture and a World Hunger Media Award in 1986 for reporting in Africa. In 1992, after establishing himself at the Bee, he won a second Pulitzer Prize in 1992 for a series on the Sierra Nevada and a National Press Club Award in 1995 for his reporting on the Sea of Cortez. Most recently, Knudson has received national attention for his five-part series, “Environment Inc.,” which, in Knudson’s own words, provides “a fresh, honest, and hard look at the environmental movement.” The five part series, “Environment Inc.,” can be found at http://www.sacbee.com/static/archive/news/projects/environment/index02.html.

Barrington Moore Memorial Award recognizes distinguished individual research in any branch of the biological sciences that result in the substantial advances in either the practice or the science of forestry.

Kurt S. Pregitzer
A productive researcher and internationally recognized scholar, Pregitzer’s work has yielded great strides in the understanding of the belowground processes that sustain forest productivity. Pregitzer has pioneered approaches for studying the fine root systems of trees. Those approaches are widely used by researchers throughout the world. Pregitzer has also made substantial contributions to the understanding of climate change on forest ecosystems. Pregitzer’s career of more than two decades features appointments with the USDA Forest Service’s North Central Research Station, Michigan State University, and the University of Idaho. Currently, he is a professor at the Michigan Technological University’s School of Forestry and Wood Products. Pregitzer earned his bachelor’s, master’s, and PhD degrees in forest ecology from the University of Michigan and is a research fellow at the Hessen Forestry Research Institute in Germany. He joined SAF in 1980.

The Award in Forest Science recognizes distinguished individual research in any branch of the quantitative, managerial, and/or social sciences leading to the advancement of forestry.

David D. Reed
Reed’s work in forest science represents a balance of theoretical and applied research. He has authored or coauthored more than 120 technical publications, has served on more than 100 graduate committees, and has been the principal investigator or coinvestigator on 39 funded projects. Throughout his career he has researched southern pine beetles; the development of tree volume; taper and biomass estimation systems, growth-and-yield modeling; and the development and use of models to detect the often-subtle environmental effects on stand development. Through this work, Reed has influenced a broad spectrum of managers and scientists ranging from students to well-established forest science researchers. Reed has performed international work as a Fulbright Scholar in Portugal and other work abroad, most notably in Finland, the Baltics, Poland, and Russia. In recognition for this work, he was awarded the Scientific Achievement Award from the International Union of Forest Research Organizations in 2000. Reed is currently vice president for research at Michigan Technological University. Reed joined SAF in 1985.

Technology Transfer and Extension Award recognizes a member’s outstanding achievement in facilitating the field application of research through technology transfer, implementation, and extension.

George D. Kessler
Kessler, currently a professor of forestry and an extension forester at Clemson University, has demonstrated regional and national leadership in reaching various groups within the South’s forestry community. Kessler developed and implemented the Master Tree Farmer Program, a hybrid satellite and Web-based distance learning program. Nearly 5,000 landowners and 400 foresters, extension agents, and others have participated in the 21 hours of live video cast and, today, states outside the region have begun broadcasting sessions. In addition, it is estimated that hundreds are viewing the videos online. As a result of his success in spreading forestry’s message of good stewardship, Kessler has received awards from numerous forestry associations, including the American Forest Foundation, Forest Landowners Association, Southern Extension Forest Resource Specialists Association, and the South Carolina Forestry Association. Kessler holds a bachelor’s degree in dairy science, a master’s degree in silviculture, and a PhD in forestry from the University of Georgia. He joined SAF in 1968.

Honorary Members are individuals who have rendered distinguished service to forestry through development, diffusion, and application of forestry knowledge. They are also sited for their role in benefiting society through forestry and development of society’s awareness of forestry.

Jeffery Burley is the director of the Oxford Forestry Institute, University of Oxford.