It was a real honor to speak with private forestry consultant Craig Blencowe, a leader in sustainable forest management. I asked Craig about timberland management, fire prevention, what’s changed in the American timber industry, spotted owls, bark beetles, what has gone wrong at the U.S. Forest Service, why we stopped salvaging lumber on public land after wildfires and hurricanes, why lumber is less dense than it used to be, what he means by a multi-use approach to public land, why he prioritizes the well-being of rural communities in his practice, and much more.
Craig is based in Mendocino County, California. He graduated from Stanford University with a degree in biological sciences and worked for the National Park Service before beginning his private practice. Craig was the first SmartWood-certified resource manager and in 2024 received the California Licensed Forests Association Award for Outstanding Forester.
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UNWON exists to tell the stories of the people who build, feed, and protect this nation. Keely Brazil Covello is a Western writer, journalist, and filmmaker. Learn more and subscribe at www.americaunwon.com.
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