Day in the Life – Forestry Careers 101

Thursday, April 29, 2021 at 1pm EST

A Virtual Panel of Forestry Leaders

NCFA invites you to join us in a conversation about a day in the life of a forestry professional. We’ll answer questions on setting yourself apart, recommendations for focus areas, and potential internships and career opportunities for those in field of forestry and forest products.

Attendees are eligible for: 1 hour of Category 2 CFE

Our distinguished panelists will include the following individuals:

Mike Cheston has been with Canfor since 2014 and is responsible for multiple contract loggers that operate from Pittsboro to Fayetteville. Cheston graduated NCSU in 2012 and went into procurement working for a wood dealer. Before working at Canfor, in 2013, Cheston moved to Virginia to work for Enviva and was there for over a year. Co-chair of the SLTC, Cheston has been a member of NCFA since 2014, is a certified ProLogger, as well as a member of the Strategic Planning Committee.

Greg Hicks has 22 year of experience working for the agency. He specializes in Forest Protection and oversees the agency’s Wildfire and Emergency Response, Forest Health, and Law Enforcement programs. Hicks is a 1998 graduate of North Carolina State University with a BS in Forest Management.

Jocelyn Wilson leads a team of foresters managing 560,000 acres of timberland in eastern North Carolina. Jocelyn began her career with Weyerhaeuser Company in 2000 after graduating from Auburn University with a BS in Forest Management. Over the years, Jocelyn has practiced forest management in six southern states as well as working in a seedling nursery and seed orchard.

Jocelyn has been an active member of the Society of American Foresters since college, along with sitting on the board of various parish forestry associations throughout her career. She currently serves on the NCFA’s Board of Directors.

"The panel discussion today was great! This information would have be very helpful to me when I was in college or even in high school trying decide why I wanted to go to college. You all asked a lot of good questions. My favorite was your question to Greg Hicks about job interviews. You definitely need to be prepared and excited for it!" Blair Allman, Planning Forester, Weyerheauser

Please take our survey if you attended the presentation!

Here is a link to the recording of the video panel.

NCFA Forestry Educational Resources: “Careers and Schools”

NCFA Career brochure, profiles and booklet

Canfor – offer student internships with operations across North America.

Weyerhaeuser – offer student positions as a global company.

North Carolina Forest Service - offer student positions in North Carolina.