A Parting Gift to the Appalachians

Appalachian Voices’ Sustainable Forestry Coordinator, Katie Goslee, recently completed her work with Appalachian Voices and has now moved on to take a job in Washington, DC, with the State and Private Forests branch of the US Forest Service. In her new position, she will continue doing the kind of work she did with Appalachian Voices, helping to bring landowners the knowledge and resources they require to manage their forest land in a financially and ecologically sustainable manner.

As the culmination of two years of outstanding service to Appalachian Voices and the Appalachian region as a whole, Katie recently completed a handbook for forest landowners entitled “Managing Your Woodlands: A Guide for Southern Appalachian Landowners.” The guide is meant as a sort of owner’s manual for forest landowners who want to be good stewards and manage their land as a long-term investment, rather than for short-term profits at the expense of the health of their forest. The handbook is now available for free to the public.

“While I am heartened to see Katie moving to a place in her career where she can continue to make a tremendous difference for rural people and for the environment,” says Appalachian Voices Executive Director, Matt Wasson, “losing a colleague as creative, professional, and likeable as Katie is really difficult. It’s hard to replace someone like that.”

Nevertheless, Appalachian Voices will continue to provide resources to landowners who need information about managing their forest in a sustainable way. “We remain committed to updating our handbook as well as producing new informational resources for landowners. In addition, we will continue to assist landowners in locating top-notch forest professionals with demonstrated records of good stewardship,” comments Wasson.

From the staff, Board and members of Appalachian Voices, we wish Katie the best in her future career, and feel privileged to have been able to work with her for the past two years. We hope that other members of the public will take advantage of the parting gift Katie left to Appalachian Voices and the region we seek to protect: a thoughtful, professional, and meticulously-researched handbook on forest management options for Southern Appalachian landowners.