Tara Bal, assistant professor of forest health in the College of Forest Resources and Environmental Science, was elected vice president of the Society of American Foresters (SAF). The organization represents foresters and natural resources professionals, helping them promote thriving forests by bringing the best science, the best practices, and the best people together. Bal said the organization represents a community that ultimately supports sustainable forests and sustainable forest management, and one she has been a part of since she was a student.
“SAF serves as an opportunity for myself and others to forge new connections, engage on diverse topics, and give back to the forests that provide for us, by providing resources for the landowners and managers that take care of them. It truly is an honor to be a part of this profession.”
Bal attended her first Society of American Foresters national convention as an undergraduate, with her college forestry club. She didn’t know much about SAF, but was hooked immediately.
“I’d never seen or even knew that there were so many people into forests and forestry like me, and from there I’ve never looked back,” said Bal.
Bal has attended more than 10 national conventions over the past 20 years and more than 30 state meetings in the last decade. The organization has supported her professional development through multiple leadership academies. Her first leadership position with SAF was in 2013 as the Upper Peninsula chapter vice president.
“It was so rewarding then, to organize my first few meetings, and I really enjoyed seeing and learning how things happened behind the curtain,” said Bal.
Prior to her current office, Bal served on the board as SAF district representative for Michigan, Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Iowa from 2020-2022.
“I feel like I’ve already had this huge learning curve about the organization in general as I’m stepping into the vice president position,” said Bal, “I’ve made so many great connections to folks through SAF, it would be hard to name them all!”
Bal’s work with SAF has also enhanced her work as a professor. She has had SAF members, including the CEO, attend as guest speakers in her professionalism classes. It is also a valuable community for sharing research, both presenting in meetings and publishing in their journals.
“SAF supports forestry professionals and one of the ways it does this is as a platform for making connections possible specifically for researchers and educators.”
Bal’s involvement in SAF, her role as an educator, and her research are so entwined that she said it’s difficult for her to separate how one impacts the other. She’s worked with thousands of students over the years, mentored around 100 graduate students, published papers about human diversity in forest education and presented hundreds of times at SAF meetings.
“I hope I’ve been able to model some of that engagement to students that are going to be our forest professionals,” said Bal, who will serve a three year term on the SAF board of directors, spending one year each as vice-president, president and immediate past president.
About the College of Forest Resources and Environmental Science
Michigan Tech’s College of Forest Resources and Environmental Science brings students, faculty, and researchers together to measure, map, model, analyze, and deploy solutions. The College offers seven bachelor’s degrees in forestry, wildlife ecology and conservation, applied ecology and environmental science, natural resources management, sustainable bioproducts, and environmental science and sustainability, and environmental data science. We offer graduate degrees in applied ecology, forest ecology and management, forest molecular genetics and biotechnology, and forest science.
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