News - August 2023

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Giving foresters wings: Stephen Logan is working to advance unmanned aerial system technology

Looking up from the road, a stand of pine trees may look healthy as they tower over the rusty soil.  But a view of the trees from a different angle reveals a different story: A swath of needles the color of the soil that are embedded deep among the healthy trees. The infestation of beetles couldn’t be caught without some serious boots-on-the-ground investment—or, it could be caught in minutes using an unmanned aerial vehicle, or UAV. “We…

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Alumni Spotlight: Tiffany Vidal Cunningham (PHD ’17)

‘Disentangling the effects of aggregation’   The western and central Pacific Ocean is home to more than half of the global population of tuna, and Tiffany Vidal Cunningham is tracking its progress. Cunningham, who studied aquatic sciences with faculty member Brian Irwin, became adept at assessing fish populations during her time at Warnell. She now puts that knowledge to use in New Caledonia, a collection of islands in the South…

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Alumni Spotlight: Shawn DeRome (BSFR ’14, MFR ’16)

Where business sense meets environmental stewardship   On any given day, Shawn DeRome’s job involves some strategy. And market research. And international affairs. And environmental stewardship. “Part of what drew me to forestry in the first place was the combination of being able to do things outside, involving the environment, and also having a hand in industry and business,” says DeRome, a manager of business development for Rayonier, a…

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Alumni Spotlight: Joe Vaughn (BSFR ’16)

‘We have to play a delicate dance’   Growing up with a father who was an airline mechanic, Joe Vaughn says his family moved all over the country. But one major constant throughout his childhood was playing outside. So, a career in forestry made sense—it just took him a bit to find his path. Vaughn graduated from high school in 2010 and the following year began spending his summers as a wildland firefighter, going out to Wyoming from…

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Alumni Spotlight: William Van Devender (MFR ’13)

‘A positive effect’   It was serendipitous that William Van Devender happened upon the bi-annual Timberland Investment Conference, hosted by the Langdale Center for Forest Business. The chance encounter merged two portions of Van Devender’s life that had always been separate, and changed the course of his professional career. Working as an investment analyst in Atlanta, Van Devender had thought his days working with his family’s timber…


Disease conference examines intersection of human, animal illness

The COVID-19 pandemic threw the intersection of animal and human diseases into the spotlight. Now, a specialized conference this week sharpens the focus on that topic.   The annual Wildlife Disease Conference takes place July 29-Aug. 4 at The Classic Center in Athens. It will bring more than 100 experts from around the world to talk about how wild animal health and disease relate to their biology, conservation and interactions with humans…

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Dwivedi wins SAF Research and Development award

A Warnell faculty member's work in the emerging field of bioenergy and family forest landowners has been recognized by the Southeastern Society of American Foresters. Puneet Dwivedi, an associate professor of forest sustainability at the UGA Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources, recently received the 2019 Research and Development Award from Southeastern SAF at the organization's annual meeting in Panama City Beach, Florida. Dwivedi…

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BLACK HISTORY MONTH: Family ties and forestlands

Generational connections and strong memories encourage African American forest ownership   Walter Collins’ connection to his forestland began almost 200 years ago, when his great-great-great grandmother, then just a baby, was sold with her mother to a plantation in central Georgia’s Hancock County. Decades later, after his grandfather moved the family away for better opportunities and Collins gained experience in the military and his own…

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Langdale Center names new associate director

Industry expert Joe Parsons begins April 1   The Harley Langdale Jr. Center for Forest Business at the University of Georgia will soon welcome a new industry expert into the fold. Joe Parsons (BSFR ’81, MBA ’82), senior wood procurement manager at Graphic Packaging International’s Macon paperboard mill, has been named associate director for the center, which is housed in the Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources. Parsons will…


UGA joins federal-state partnership to combat feral swine

The University of Georgia is a key partner in a new federal initiative to combat feral hogs and will partner with federal and state agencies as part of a $1.5 million, 3-year project in Southwest Georgia. The Feral Swine Eradication and Control Pilot Program, established as part of the 2018 Farm Bill, allocates $75 million to targeted areas across the United States where feral swine have been identified as a threat. In Georgia, the animals cause…

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