Category: Alaska News
AKSAF Member Recognized by their Peers
SAF recently announced SAF members who were elected Fellow in 2023, and AKSAF’s Ken Winterberger was one of these Fellows!
The Fellow Award is a prestigious award that recognizes an SAF member for long-standing service to forestry at the local, state, and national levels. The SAF Fellow is recognized as an ambassador for the advancement of forestry. Nominations are accepted from any SAF member in good standing. Awardees are recognized during their local state society meetings and during the SAF National Convention.
RECOGNIZING SEVEN NEW CANDIDATE CERTIFIED FORESTERS AND CERTIFIED FORESTERS IN REGION 1
Congratulations to the following professional foresters who became SAF certified as Candidate Certified Foresters or Certified Foresters in 2022. The Certified Forester credential is for SAF members and non-members promoting excellence in the stewardship of our nation’s forest resources through enhanced professionalism in forestry.
Cody Davis, CF
Gregory Howisey, CF
Alexander Pancoast, CF
Dan Rees, CF selected as 2022 Presidential Field Forester
Congratulations to Dan Rees, CF for being honored as the 2022 Presidential Field Forester for District 1! This award recognizes members who have dedicated their professional careers to the application of forestry on the ground using sound scientific methods and adaptive management strategies.
Much of Dan’s career and work has been carried out on military lands throughout interior Alaska, where the primary objective of land management is often tied to enhancing military training objectives. As a result, management intensity may range from very intensive applications to more extensive management regimes in combination with military training objectives and forest landscape sustainability and enhancement.
To learn more about Dan’s accomplishment’s, read The Forestry Source August 2022 issue.
Alaska SAF Honors Award Recipients at Annual Meeting
Alaska SAF held their annual meeting in Fairbanks on May 17-18 and presented three awards at the annual awards banquet.

Tom St. Clair is the 2022 recipient of the Forester of the Year award. Tom currently serves as the Regional Fire Management Officer for the Alaska Region of the Bureau of Indian Affairs and is the chair-elect for the SAF Yukon River Chapter. He played a key role in organizing this year’s annual meeting, and is active in chapter affairs, field trips, and educational programs. Within the Alaska fire community, he is an active member of the Alaska Wildland Fire Coordinating Group (AWFCG), an interagency organization that provides leadership, coordination, and implementation of policy, direction, and standards for incident management. He is also a well-respected trainer and presenter of forestry and fire management education. Tom’s leadership within SAF and the Alaska fire community is outstanding, and it is an honor to present Tom St. Clair with the Alaska Forester of the Year award.
The 2022 Service to Forestry award is presented to Tamara Boeve. She has been very supportive of the Cook Inlet chapter’s annual tree seedling sale, which was started in the early 1970’s. For many years, she has been instrumental in providing outreach in the Matanuska Valley to connect landowners with Cook Inlet chapter, which provides seedlings for properties that have been burned over or impacted by forest insects. Her plaque will be awarded at an upcoming Cook Inlet chapter meeting.

Alaska’s Yukon River chapter is the recipient of the 2022 Chapter of the Year award. Despite the challenges associated with the pandemic, Yukon River chapter has maintained an active continuing education program utilizing virtual meetings and field trips that continue to engage current members and attract new members. Congratulations to the Yukon River chapter!
Upcoming Western Forester to feature AKSAF member
In the fall issue of the Western Forester, William Putman, CF, shares his experiences as a consultant forester with the Tanana Chiefs Conference. Stay tuned for the issue, which will be out soon!
Latest Western Forester Features AKSAF Member
Check out more about Sue Rodman and her career.