College of Agriculture & Natural Resources Department of Forestry

Donald F. Van Eynde | BS ‘59

Don is having lots of fun as the charter president of a new Rotary Club in Blanco, Texas.  A service-oriented organization filled with great people!

Ronald Bernhard | BS ‘62

Following graduation in December 1962, I accepted a position with the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) in Coos Bay, Oregon and spent three years on a Timber Management Team. We developed sales of virgin Douglas Fir that sometimes ran 80,000 bd. ft. per acre. These were huge timber sales of several million bd.ft. and almost exclusively involved cable (hi-lead) logging. I relocated “home” in 1965 and spent 31 years with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, first as a service forester, then eventually in the central office in several different positions until I retired in 1996 as Director Division of Operations. It’s been a rewarding career that all began when Connie and I moved into Spartan Village just two weeks after our wedding.  GO GREEN!

Loyd Irland | BS ’67,
Jim Smith
Jim Campopiano | BS ‘69

At the New England Society of American Foresters meeting in Burlington, Vermont in late March, several MSU alums met, quite by accident.  Lloyd Irland, (‘67) semi retired in Maine,  Jim Smith, retired from the Massachusetts State Department of Forests and Parks and Jim Campopiano (’69) had a long career in industry and timber investment and came over from New York state.  Lloyd Irland recalls, “my class was the first one to move into the then ‘new’ building in mid ‘66-67 academic year. I can remember Lee James in the back room at the old building, pouring over stacks of blueprints ....”

Bill Rosanelli  | MS ‘73

I retired in June after 42 years of teaching high school theology (39 at Pope John HS in Sparta, NJ). For 25 years I worked on weekends and full time summers at Grey Towers National Historic Site in Milford, PA (administered by the USDA Forest Service) until 2011. I currently reside with my wife, Maggie, in Montague, NJ.

Douglas A. Prutton | BS ‘79

I received my Forestry degree from MSU in 1979.  I then went to law school at the University of Illinois from 1979-1982.  I have been a lawyer ever since, practicing in the San Francisco Bay Area since 1984.  I would love to hear from any of the 1979 graduates, and if anyone is in the Bay Area let’s get together!  Go Green!

Mark A. Peterson | BS ‘83

After 23 years with the Texas Forest Service as the Regional Community Forester for South Texas, I joined the local water purveyor, the San Antonio Water System, as the Conservation Project Coordinator in 2006 to lead or be part of a team that administers all water conservation programs pertaining to landscapes, irrigation systems and watersheds.

...But I’m still affectionately known by 1.7 million South Texans as the “tree guy.”

Roger Fairchild | BS ‘84

When I graduated in the winter term of 1984, I took a job with a small lawn care company in their Tree/Shrub division in Kalamazoo, MI. I had not heard of them and really didn’t know what they did at my interview on campus! 35 years later, with the exception of the first year, my time has been in South Bend, IN. It’s been challenging and rewarding. MSU and the Forestry program are still very close to my heart. Go Green!

Tere O’Rourke | BS ‘84

I am living in Oregon and working as the Natural Resources Staff Officer on the Siuslaw National Forest overseeing timber, planning and all the “ology.” It’s a great position and the forest is progressive and focused on habitat restoration. Additionally, I have a small business that I hope to expand in the near future with an emphasis on facilitating climate adaptation for businesses, institutions and individuals. The most exciting thing this year is that my child, Morgan, has a summer position on the Tongass National Forest in Alaska working on a fish biology crew.

Eric T. Stafne | BS ‘93

After earning his bachelor’s degree in forestry from Michigan State University, Eric served in the Peace Corps as an agroforestry Extension agent in the westernmost region of Africa living and working among people in a subsistence agriculture system. This form of farming involves raising crops specifically for feeding the family, with little surplus produced.

Eric was just promoted to professor at Mississippi State University. He is part of the Plant and Soil Sciences Department and the Coastal Research and Extension Center as a fruit specialist. Mostly he works with blueberries, blackberries and grapes, but also other crops like pecans and passionfruit. His office is located in Poplarville, Mississippi (south part of the state).

Jill Fisher | MS ‘94

I work for the Keweenaw Land Trust in Hancock, Michigan as a Botanist and Program Manager. The KLT owns 19 natural areas totaling over 3,000 acres. Come to the Upper Peninsula and explore some of them! Stop by the KLT office and say hi if you do. http://keweenawlandtrust.org/

Paula Marquardt | MS‘02, PhD ‘18

I hold two graduate degrees from Michigan State University, earning an MS in Forestry with focus on Population Genetics in 2002, and a PhD in Plant Biology with focus on Ecophysiology and Conservation Genetics in 2018.  After conducting basic research for seven years with the USDA Forest Service (USFS) in Northern Wisconsin, I began my MS degree in 1998 while continuing to work as a Biological Technician for the USFS.  Similarly, I was promoted to Biologist then Research Geneticist with the USFS while enrolled as a PhD student at MSU. After graduation, I continue to work as Research Geneticist for the USFS, Northern Research Station, where I study a variety of organisms including bats and turtles, although specializing in trees. I currently investigate the movement of plants and animals across forest ecosystems, and the potential impacts of climate warming and drought on forest growth, health and structure. Throughout nearly 30 years with the USFS, my projects have combined basic with applied research approaches, and the findings in our lab promote outcomes that inform and support management and forest planning activities.