Winter 2003 Volume 12, Number 3
State Forester of Indiana Elected NASF President
The National Association of State Foresters (NASF) elected Burnell C. Fischer, State Forester of Indiana, as its new president. Fischer was elected unanimously at NASF's 81st annual meeting in Portland, OR.
Earning his BS in Forestry, MS and PhD at Purdue University, Dr. Fischer has served 13 years as the director of the Indiana Division of Forestry which is responsible for public and private forest land programs on Indiana's 4.5 million acres of rural and urban forest lands. Fischer has an extensive educational background, beginning his professional career as a forestry faculty member at the University of Massachusetts -Amherst before returning to Purdue where he has served as a professor of forestry and currently serves as adjunct professor.
As a member of NASF, Fischer chaired the association's Urban and Community Forestry Committee for two years and was its Northeastern Area Representative in 1999. 'The position of NASF President is not just an honor, but also a great responsibility, and I am excited about meeting that challenge over the upcoming year,' Fischer said.
NASF also elected Pat McElroy, State Forester of Washington, as its new vice president, and James B. Hull, State Forester of Texas, as treasurer. Pat McElroy has been State Forester of Washington for two year sand has more than 30 years experience with the Washington State Department of Natural Resources. He chairs NASF's Emerging Issues Committee and has served as the treasurer for the past year. James Hull has been director of the Texas Forest Service for seven years. An active member of NASF, Hull has chaired its Forest Fire Protection and Awards Committees for several years and also served as chair of the Southern Group of State Foresters in 2001.
The National Association of State Foresters (NASF) is comprised of the directors of the 50 state and eight territorial forestry agencies and the District of Columbia. Through public-private partnerships, NASF seeks to discuss, develop, sponsor and promote programs and activities which will advance the practice of sustainable forestry, the conservation and protection of forest lands and associated resources and the establishment and protection of forests in the urban environment.