He's a major player in the 'natural resource game'
Cory Secher enjoys the variety of duties in his position as a Boulder District Field Forester for the Colorado State Forest Service.

Cory Secher participates in a prescribed burn near the Boulder District Forest Service offices.

Cory Secher (B.S. 2001) performs a wide variety of tasks as Boulder District Field Forester - Colorado State Forest Service. He works with the public, cooperative agencies, fire departments and the media on such chores as administering state programs, coordinating community forestry projects, providing advice on insect and disease problems, writing prescribed burn plans, preparing forest management plans and fighting wildfires. He is also an educational extension agent for Colorado State University. Cory reports that he could add to this list of responsibilities since "there is no end to the role we play in the natural resource management game."

Though his is a demanding and challenging job, Cory says he honestly likes everything that he does. "I truly enjoy working in this highly political arena to achieve Best Forest Management (BFM) practices," says Cory. He notes that he especially enjoys holding forestry workshops and community meetings. "In this role I get the chance to educate landowners and other forest stewards. The best part is reaching that critical moment when my audience realizes the benefits of thinning their forests," says Cory. He adds that most of what his agency does is related to forest conservation, management and wildfire mitigation.

Cory contends that his education at UW-Madison played a key role in landing his current position in Colorado. Both the curriculum and the faculty were important to him. He names several courses that proved especially useful, including Silviculture, Tree Physiology, Soils, Biometry, Entomology, and the forestry capstone course. He says the faculty also made a huge impact on him. He offers this advice for students just beginning their careers, "The natural resources field is based on science applied with skill and experience by the land manager. As long as your recommendations have merit, you will be respected."

Current students shouldn't be shy about asking hard hitting or seemingly dumb questions of their professors because, says Cory, "once you're in the field, you'll wish you had." He adds that many of these questions are the very questions that landowners will be asking you.