The #AlaskaCommunityForestryProgram is sorry to report that Dan Ketchum, Alaska’s coordinator for the very first Community Forestry and Forest Stewardship Programs, has passed away at 84. Dan was hired in 1991 by the Division of Forestry by State Forester Bob Dick to coordinate the newly established Urban and Community Forestry and Forest Stewardship programs. Dan oversaw the initial set up and shepherding of both programs with support from Alaska Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Information Officer Patricia Joyner. One of Dan’s first responsibilities was organizing the Alaska Community Forest Council, a federal requirement for the community forestry program. Dan became the full-time community forestry program coordinator in 1993 and served in that position until 1999. One of his primary achievements was preparing the programs for review by the U.S. Forest Service to assess the progress toward achieving the national implementation requirements. He retired from DNR in 2005.
Dan graduated from Oklahoma State University with a B.S. in Forestry in 1960 and later worked as an instructor in the OSU Forestry Department. He served in the Navy after college and continued in the Naval Reserve for the next 30+ years, rising to the rank of Captain. After active duty in the Navy, he worked as a forester in North Carolina and earned a Master of Forestry degree at North Carolina State University. Dan moved to Alaska in 1979 and worked as a Forester at Fort Richardson and at DNR for the next three decades. He was one of the first Certified Arborists in Alaska. In addition to his forestry work Dan earned a Master of Divinity in the 1999 at the San Francisco Theological Seminary.
Dan would love for you to plant your favorite tree in his honor.
To see the full obituary please go to: https://www.frontiersman.com/.../article_54b7a7dc-a3e7...
Original source can be found here.
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