This will be a 4 part series with 4 amazing women and will be published each Monday in each week of October 2020 for National Forest Products week. Amanda Astor and I recorded this episode before the devastating fires in Oregon and the Pacific Northwest. We chatted about forest fires and what Oregon Women in Timber does to make each member special and a part of the community.

Growing up in Minnesota, Amanda fell in love with the colorful hardwood forests of the midwest. A handful of woodland adventures and camping trips solidified her passion for nature and started her on the path towards a career in natural resources.

Amanda obtained undergraduate degrees in Forest Management and Forest Biology with a minor in Botany from Colorado State University and a Graduate Certificate in Forest Carbon Science, Management, and Policy from Michigan State University.

Amanda now serves as Southwest Oregon Field Forester for the American Forest Resource Council (AFRC). As an advocate for federal timber purchasers and manufacturers, she works to secure a robust and sustainable timber supply from federal lands through the development of operationally feasible, economically viable, and environmentally conscious projects. As a liaison between industry and federal agencies, Amanda encourages legally sound and science based management practices on lands managed by the U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management across the Southwest Oregon region.

Before coming to AFRC, Amanda worked as a Pre-Sale Forester for the U.S. Forest Service on Michigan’s Hiawatha National Forest. In this position she developed field knowledge of timber sale preparation, statistically sound cruise design, and timber sale contracting tools while cross-training in silviculture, wildland and prescribed fire operations, and environmental planning and analysis.

Voice By Gordon Collier in Introduction: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jgordoncollier/

Spring by Ikson www.soundcloud.com/ikson

Music promoted by Audio Library www.youtu.be/5WPnrvEMIdo