The Executive Committee (EC) is made up of volunteer forestry colleagues from all over New England. The EC are all SAF members in good standing and work together to serve the New England members. If you would like to contact NESAF, please find an EC member below appropriate to your question. General questions can be directed to our Chair or the website administrator.
Hardwick, VT
Chair
Diana Frederick
Term: 1/1/22 – 12/31/22
diana.frederick66@gmail.com
Diana retired as a State Lands Stewardship Forester for the Vermont Department of Forests, Parks & Recreation in the Barre Office. She started with the Dept. as a Protection Technician (Insect, Disease & Fire Control) before moving to State Lands management. Diana earned a BS in Forestry in 1979 from the then UVM School of Natural Resources. She served the Green Mountain Division as treasurer, chair-elect, chair and past chair in the late 1980s. Diana and her husband live in Hardwick, VT where they own 30 acres of forested and open land. They are members of the VT Woodlands Association and are enrolled in the State’s UVA Program. She has 2 grown daughters and 2 young granddaughters she loves to spend time with.
Vinyard Haven, MA
Chair-Elect
Adam Moore
Term: 1/1/22 – 12/31/22
moore@sheriffsmeadow.org
Adam R. Moore has been the Executive Director of Sheriff’s Meadow Foundation in Martha’s Vineyard since 2008. Prior to his service with Sheriff’s Meadow Foundation, Adam was the Executive Director of the Connecticut Forest & Park Association from 2001 to 2008, the Land Superintendent for the Martha’s Vineyard Land Bank Commission from 1998 to 2001, and a forester for Connwood Foresters from 1996 to 1998. Adam is the author of A Year on Martha’s Vineyard, published in 2015. He earned a Master of Forestry degree from the Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies in 1995 and a B.A. in biology from Yale College in 1992. Adam was introduced to Martha’s Vineyard by his wife, Melissa. He and Melissa reside at Quansoo Farm and have four children – Madeleine, Isabel, Ingrid and Huck
Bernardston, MA
Immediate Past Chair
William Hill
Term: 1/01/22-12/31/22
foresterhill@comcast.net
Bill has recently retired as the State Lands Forest Manager – Massachusetts Bureau of Forestry. Prior to that he worked in the western U.S. (Idaho and the Black Hills of South Dakota) working in government and industry forest management and forest inventory positions. Bill earned an AAS in Forestry/Land Surveying from Paul Smith’s College and a BS in Forest Resources Management from the University of Idaho. Bill served as MA representative to NESAF (2015-18); was the South Dakota State Society Chair in 1994 and 1998; and has been a SAF Certified Forester since 1998. He is a forest land owner in Bernardston, MA. and is a member of the American Tree Farm System.
Chelsea, ME
Secretary
Mallory Bussell
Term: 01/01/22-12/31/22
mallory.bussell@gmail.com
Mallory is the operations manager for Two Spruce LLC and holds a BS of Forestry from the University of Maine at Orono.
Thetford Center, VT
Treasurer
Donn Downey
Term: 01/01/22 – 12/31/22
donn@forestmetrix.com
Donn is a consulting forester and the forestry lead for Forest Metrix with an unruly mutt who chases him around the woods.
Antrim, NH
Council Representative, SAF District Six
Karen Bennett
Term: 1/1/22 – 12/31/23
Karen.Bennett@unh.edu
Pembroke, NH
Website Administrator
Wendy Weisiger
Term: 4/1/2015 – 12/31/22
wendy.weisiger@gmail.com
Wendy works as the managing forester for the Society for the Protection of NH Forests overseeing 59,000 acres of conservation land on 195 properties. She has been employed there as a forester since 2004. She holds a BS in Forestry from the University of NH and is a licensed NH professional forester and SIT. She has served as the Granite State Division chair, attended the 2018 SAF Leadership Academy and in 2016 she was awarded the NESAF Mollie Beattie Young Forester Leadership Award.
Williston, VT
Forest Science Coordinator
Anthony D’Amato
Term: 1/1/15 – 12/31/22
Awdamato@uvm.edu
Tony is a Professor of Silviculture and Applied Forest Ecology and Director of the Forestry Program at the University of Vermont. He received his B.S. in Forest
Ecosystem Science from the University of Maine, M.S. in Forest Science from Oregon State University, and PhD in Forest Resources from University of Massachusetts. He was a faculty member for seven years in the Department of Forest Resources at the University of Minnesota prior to joining the Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources at the University of Vermont in January 2015. In 2017, he was awarded the Mollie Beattie Young Forester Leadership Award.
Hamden, CT
News Quarterly Editor
Joseph Barsky
Term: 1/1/ 2015 – 12/31/22
nesafnq@gmail.com
J.P. is an Agricultural Research Technician at Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station. He holds a B.S. in Agricultural Engineering/Forestry from the University of Maine.
Weare, NH
Membership Chair
Susan Francher
Term: 1/1/21-12/31/21
francher@comcast.net
Susan (a.k.a Forest Diva) is the Administrator for Planning & Community Forestry, NH Forest Legacy Program Coordinator in the NH Department of Natural and Cultural Resources at the State of NH Division of Forests and Lands. Susan is the 2016 recipient of the James W. Toumey Outstanding Achievement in Service Award. Susan also served as general chair for the 2018 NESAF Annual meeting.
Oakland, ME
Awards Chair & NESAF Archivist
Ken Laustsen
Term: 1/1/20 – 12/31/22
KALaustsen@twc.com
Ken is a retired Biometrician from the Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation, and Forestry, Bureau of Forestry, Forest Health and Monitoring Division where he spent nearly 20 years. Prior to that he worked for Great Northern Paper Company in Millinocket, Maine as a Woodlands Analyst, Operations Forester, and Staff Forester. He has been a SAF member since 1974. He is a SAF Fellow, has served as a SAF Certification Review Board Committee member, a SAF Forest Technology School Accreditation Committee member, and the 2020 Tri-Chair for the Providence National Convention. He is a Maine licensed forester and SAF Certified Forester, USDA Forest Service, Forest Inventory & Analysis, Techniques Research Band Member, Statistics Band Member, and was awarded the USFS Director’s Award for Excellence, 2001. Ken holds a B.S. in Forest Management from the University of Maine, 1974 and an M.F. in Forest Management, University of Maine, 2010.
Stratham, NH
Continuing Forestry Education Contact
Andrew Fast
Term: 1/1/22 – 12/31/22
Andrew.fast@unh.edu
Andy has been a County Forester with the University of New Hampshire Cooperative Extension since 2008. He has experience in a range of land management related positions in the northeast and western United States with the U.S. Forest Service, Marin Conservation Corps, and the Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests. He has a M.S. in Natural Resource with a concentration in Forestry from the University of New Hampshire.
East Hartland, CT
Grants Chair
Mel Harder
Term: 1/1/2022 – 12/31/2022
mel.harder@snet.net
Mel, who resides in CT, has been a consulting forester since 1973, working in all the New England states. He has been NESAF grants chair beginning in 2010, and served as CTSAF rep and correspondent for 9 years. After serving in the US Navy as a radar operator attached to NORAD, he earned a BS of Forestry from the University of Connecticut in 1969 and an MS of Biology from the University of Southern Connecticut in 1971. Prior to starting as a consulting forester in 1973 he was staff ecologist at the Talcott Mountain Science Center in Avon CT
Policy Chair
NESAF is looking for a Policy Chair to join our Executive Committee. Please reach out to our Chair if you know someone who may be a good candidate.
East Haven, CT
Connecticut State Representative
Frank Cervo
Term: 1/1/22 – 12/31/23
frankcervo@gmail.com
Frank is a Service Forester with Connecticut DEEP. Previously, he was the Forest Manager for the Yale Forest School. He holds a Bachelor of Science from the University of Connecticut and a Master of Forestry from the Yale School of Forestry. He serves on the board of the Eastern Connecticut Forest Landowners Association and is a Property Steward for the Wolf Den Land Trust. He is also a member of the Forest Steward’s Guild and the Connecticut Interstate Fire Crew.
South Berwick, ME
Maine State Representative
Karl Honkonen
Term: 1/1/21 – 12/31/22
karlwhonkonen@fs.fed.us
Karl Honkonen joined the US Forest Service/Northeast Area, State and Private Forestry
Program in March 2014 as a Watershed Forester. Karl is responsible for improving
water quality in forestry operations in six New England States and New York. Prior to joining the Forest Service, Karl worked in a variety of positions, including jobs
as an Environmental Specialist at FEMA, a Forensics Specialist during Hurricane Sandy
recovery; a High School Science Teacher in Maine and Surrey, UK; and an
Environmental Consultant. Much of his expertise in watershed management came from
his 20-year career with Massachusetts environmental agencies.
Orange, MA
Massachusetts State Representative
Joelle Vautour
Term: 1/1/21 – 12/31/22
joelle.vautour@gmail.com
Joelle works as a State Lands Management Forester for the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation, Bureau of Forestry. She began her career as a private consulting forester and has a B.S. in Forestry from the University of Massachusetts – Amherst.
Northwood, NH
New Hampshire State Representative
Susan Romano
Term: 1/1/22 – 12/31/23
susanromano2017@gmail.com
Foster, RI
Rhode Island State Representative & Elections Coordinator
Paul Dolan
Term: 1/1/22 – 12/31/23
pcdolan1@verizon.net
Paul has been a member of SAF since 1976. He is a SAF Fellow, past NESAF Chairman, and has held positions in Yankee Division and the Rhode Island Chapter. Paul is the retired Rhode Island Deputy State Forester. Presently, he is the Area Director for Rhode Island Resource Conservation and Development Council and the Coordinator for the Rhode Island Envirothon.
Warren, VT
Vermont State Representative
Jas Smith
Term: 1/1/21 – 12/31/22
jasssmith123@gmail.com
Jas is working as a new consultant for UVM Extension in areas of both farming and forestry.
He is learning about various business planning tools and resources that foster viability for
natural-resource based businesses in Vermont. Included is the process of business planning
and one-on-one business strategy with farmers, loggers and landowners.
Jas is also working part-time for City Forest Credits, a non-profit carbon registry for urban
forest projects. The work includes review and verification of all calculations and details for
urban forestry carbon projects throughout the U.S.
Jas has a background in Forest Policy through his 3-year term as member of the Committee
on Forest Policy with National SAF. He feels very fortunate to have served in this role and
gained much knowledge of various disciplines within forestry through working on the broad
range of Position Papers with advanced professionals throughout the country. He hopes to
now to continue a focus on New England matters; he was the Policy Chair for NESAF from
2016-2017. He has tentative plans to install a small maple operation in the fall of 2022.