Forestry Extension Associate

Education

1999, M.S. Communication, Utah State University

1987, B.S. Forestry, Colorado State University

Professional Interests

Private Forest Landowner Education

Wildland Ecology Awareness

Professional Memberships

Society of American Foresters - Wasatch Front Chapter

Association of Natural Resources Extension Professionals

Professional Interests and Background

Darren’s interests include helping private landowners make informed choices about how they manage their forest land. He uses tools like the Utah Forest News, field tours of harvested areas, landowner workshops, the Utah Forest Water Quality (FWQG) Primer (html) and FWQG Technical Manuals (pdf), and direct assistance to get this done.

Darren started with USU Extension in 1999 as he was completing his master’s thesis, in which he produced and directed The Missing Fires video, which is about wildland fire use and ecology in the United States. The production and distribution of the video has been supported by The National Park Service, the Florida Division of Forestry, USU Extension, and others. The Missing Fires has won national awards from the Salt Lake Olympic Organizing Committee and the Association of Natural Resource Extension Professionals.

Prior to coming to Utah Darren worked as a forestry consultant for Inland Forest Management in Sandpoint, Idaho for seven years, where he managed forest land on behalf of private landowners; writing management plans, setting-up and administering timber sales, with additional responsibilities in contracting forestry and wildland fire services to forest industry and agencies. Darren’s agency experience includes three years on the Flathead Hotshot Crew based in Northwest Montana. While working on his forestry degree from Colorado State University, he worked seasonally for the Kootenai National Forest in Yaak, Montana and for the Colorado State Forest Service, in Frisco and Fort Collins, Colorado.

Darren is a Certified Forester (CF) with the Society of American Foresters.