College of Agriculture & Natural Resources Department of Forestry

Paul Bloese, Tree Farm Manager, has retired after 40 years dedicated to the department of forestry. Paul has been a trusted colleague, mentor and friend to many in the department over the years.

Paul Bloese, Roy Prentice, and Randy Klevickas started working together at the Tree Research Center (TRC) in the early 1980’s. Under Dr. James Hanover’s Michigan State Cooperative Tree Improvement Program (MICHCOTIP), Paul was tree improvement supervisor and Roy was TRC greenhouse manager. Randy oversaw the TRC tree nursery and overall station management.

Following Dr. Hanover’s death in the early 1990’s, Roy moved on to become resident manager of the MSU Tollgate Center and Paul moved his office from the Natural Resources building to the TRC to continue tree genetics work and manage the greenhouses.

The years that followed are filled with projects, experiments, student connections, and of course – thousands of trees planted.

What’s next for Paul? “Sleeping in, tackling long deferred projects around the house, a little reading, a little gardening, and spending more time with my wife, kids, and grandkids.”

Congratulations, Paul, we wish you all the best.