Welcome Shawn Swartz to the Southeast Region staff!

Written by Shawn, Amanda, Colleen, Zander

Shawn Swartz is a long-time Guild member whose career has grown right alongside our Guild community. We are thrilled to welcome him as our Southeast Region Manager.  If you don’t yet know Shawn, this brief background offers a hint of his dedication and enthusiasm for forestry that follows Guild principles.

Shawn is a registered forester in NC, an SAF Certified Forester, and an ISA certified Arborist. His AAS in Forest Management is from Haywood Community College and Bachelor of Science and MNR in Natural Resource Management from Oregon State University. He said he feels at home working for the Forest Guild because his approach to forest management involves silvicultural methods that mimic historical disturbance regimes and natural ranges of variability. Professionally, his interests include the restoration of forest species including American chestnut, longleaf and shortleaf pine, and eastern hemlock; non-timber forest products such as American ginseng, goldenseal, ramps, tree syrups, and woodland mushrooms; and woody perennial crops such as American hazelnut and pawpaw. When not working, he enjoys hiking, camping, fishing, hunting, playing guitar, and riding his motorcycle.

Shawn’s field experience and deep roots in the Appalachian forestry community are an asset to our work in the region. Shawn is well-positioned to grow the Guild’s work in advancing forest stewardship in the Southeast.

Shawn will be working with Dakota, Southeast Coordinator, on a range of projects and membership support. With support from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF), Shawn will be advancing conservation practices for bottomland hardwood forests in both the coastal Carolinas and the Lower Mississippi. Another central project for Shawn is shortleaf pine ecosystem restoration and management in the Cumberland Plateau. In addition, he’ll be working on meetings and events in the Southeast such as the upcoming West Virginia workshop focused on mesophytic cove forest management.