*December 2006 Highlight*

New Forestry Faces in Vermont Acorn Territory

Longtime Bennington County Forester Jim White retired earlier this fall after a distinguished and meaningful career. Jim was nationally recognized as the Cooperative Forest Management Forester of the year in 2004 for 20 northeastern states, making him one of the best County Foresters in the US . More on Jim and his career can be found in the September 2004 ACORN highlight.

Jim (on the left, below) is replaced in Bennington County by Nate Fice, who previously worked in Rutland County as the County Forester for Vermont Forests , Parks, and Recreation. Nate can be reached online at Nate.Fice@state.vt.us, or over the phone at 802-375-1217.

Also new to the ACORN area is Sam Schneski, serving as an Assistant County Forester. Sam will be providing County Forester services to the northern Windham County towns of Putney, Dummerston , Jamaica , Londonderry , Windham , Grafton, and Rockingham, in addition to wearing other hats in the VT Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation. Prior to joining the Forest , Parks, and Recreation team, Sam was a Wildlife Forester with Mass Wildlife, and a graduate student in the Department of Natural Resources Conservation at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst. Sam was the first graduate student to work on the ACORN project, and was responsible for meetings with landowners, and the original design and content of the site. We consider Sam a very important ACORN alumnus! Sam can be reached online at: sam.schneski@state.vt.us or on the phone at the FP&R office in Springfield : (802) 885-8823.

** If you have ideas for future highlights please send an email to
acorn@forwild.umass.edu **