Faces of the Forest

Thirty-five years ago, Joel Holtrop embarked on his lifelong dream of serving the U.S. Forest Service, eventually working in a variety of jobs across the United States. Soon, the Deputy Chief of the Forest Service will embark on a new chapter of his life after retiring from the agency in early...

As a disabled Vietnam Veteran, Daniel stated, “my greatest honor was having the opportunity to participate with Missing-in-Action work by returning to Vietnam and Laos assisting in recovery efforts of fellow soldiers.” For over 15 years, Daniel has worked as a Tribal Relations Program Manager on the...

David Ferrell seems to rebound from setbacks with a vengeance. During his first semester of college, his mother fell ill and he had to drop out to help take care of her and his four younger siblings. Back home, Ferrell met Charles Minor, a local Virginia man who would become a lifelong influence and...

You might say that Dave Kretschmann has engineered his way into Major League Baseball’s history books. Kretschmann’s work as a research general engineer led him to figure out why so many bats used by Major League Baseball were shattered. “Since late in the 2008 season, we’ve seen video of every...

Nan Christianson worked in many jobs during her three decades with the U.S. Forest Service. She considers them all gifts. “I think that because I’ve been able to work with communities as well as with natural resources, it is fun to go back and see some of the things I have been a part of over the...

Warren Heilman is riveted by numbers, especially those that tell the story of how weather affects wildfires. Heilman is a U.S. Forest Service meteorologist who conducts studies at the Northern Research Stations’ East Lansing, Mich. office. His work on how weather impacts fire behavior helps...

A few years ago, Iris Estes’ shyness served her well. After all, it didn’t matter to her because she didn’t have to give speeches or talk to groups. Then Estes landed a job on the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest in Central Arizona as a customer relations specialist. That was the easy part. Her new...