Sara Kuebbing, Zander Evans, Cody Desautel, Sam Evans, Kacey KC, and Jennifer McRae

The National Old Growth Amendment (NOGA) has far-reaching implications for public lands management. Stemming from Executive Order 14072, this policy marks a shift in how the USDA Forest Service operates and addresses issues like forest resilience, climate adaptation, timber targets, Indigenous partnerships, local engagement, National Forest Planning, and the allocation of resources in the forest sector. In our final webinar for the Fall 2024 series on Mature and Old Growth, a diverse panel of forest sector leaders will discuss the implications of the NOGA, its possible future under a new administration, and what our priorities should be moving forward. Through varying lenses in the sector, this panel discussion will showcase the complexity of public lands policy in an era of compounding crises.

Speaker Biographies

Sara Kuebbing - Research Scientist at the Yale School of the Environment and Director of Research of the Yale Applied Science Synthesis Program

Dr. Sara Kuebbing is the Director of Research of the Yale Applied Science Synthesis Program (link is external) an initiative of the Yale Center for Natural Carbon Capture (link is external) and The Forest School at the Yale School of the Environment. Kuebbing is trained as an ecologist with expertise in forest ecology, conservation biology, and invasion biology. She conducts research on how humans can make informed decisions on how to best protect and conserve landscapes, ecosystems, and all the species that lives within them. She works with a variety of scientists, land managers, and policymakers to focus my research questions and share my results.

Prior to moving to Yale, Sara was an Assistant Professor in the Department of Biological Sciences at the University of Pittsburgh where she ran an empirical research lab in plant ecology and invasion biology. Her research training includes postdoctoral positions with the Yale Institute for Biospheric Studies (link is external) and the Smith Conservation Fellows Program (link is external), a PhD from the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology (link is external) at the University of Tennessee and a BS from the Department of Entomology & Wildlife Conservation (link is external) at the University of Delaware.

Zander Evans - Executive Director, Forest Stewards Guild

Dr. Alexander ‘Zander’ Evans is the Forest Stewards Guild’s Executive Director. He joined the staff at the Guild in 2006 to direct the research program after finishing his PhD at the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies. Evans focuses on research that supports on-the-ground stewardship including managed wildfire, climate resilience, community mitigation, and old-growth policy. He is engaged in collaborative efforts to improve forest and community health, including the Southwest Fire Science Consortium and the Rural Voices for Conservation Coalition. As Executive Director, Evans builds partnerships, promotes sound policy, and supports ecological stewardship.

Cody Desautel - Executive Director, Colville Tribes & President of the Intertribal Timber Council

Cody Desautel is a member of the Colville Tribe. He has a bachelor’s degree in Environmental Science, and master’s degree in Indian Law. He has spent the entirety of his career working for his people on the Colville Reservation.  That time includes working for both the Tribal Government and Bureau of Indian Affairs in a variety of capacities including forestry, fire management, and range.  Desautel was hired as the Natural Resource Division Director in April of 2014.  A position he held until assuming the Executive Director position in June of 2022.

In addition to his regular duties, Desautel also serves as the President for the Intertribal Timber Council, and is a member of the Washington State Forest Practice Board, Wildland Fire Advisory Committee, and Forest Health Advisory Committee.   

Sam Evans - Senior Attorney and Leader, National Forests and Parks Program, Southern Environmental Law Center

Sam Evans is a Senior Attorney at the Southern Environmental Law Center and leads the organization’s National Forests and Parks Program. Since joining SELC in 2011, Evans has become a leading voice on legal and policy issues impacting our public lands. He has been actively involved in efforts to protect old-growth forests by advocating for nationwide federal protections while fighting—and successfully stopping—reckless logging projects that put valuable old growth in national forests on the chopping block. Prior to joining SELC, Evans clerked the at the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee. He is a graduate of the University of Tennessee College of Law.

Kacey KC - State Forester, Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, Nevada Division of Forestry, State of Nevada

Kacey KC is a native Nevadan, born and raised in Gardnerville. KC attended the University of Montana where she received a bachelor’s degree in forestry - natural resource conservation. After college, Kacey became a Peace Corps volunteer and spent a little over two years doing community forestry work in Nepal. She worked with local groups in Nepal and helped develop plans to manage land, as forests there were degraded by landslides.

Upon her return in 2002, KC started her career with the Nevada Division of Forestry (NDF) as a seasonal employee for the Nursery and Seedbank Program, then moved into the state office working in various positions and gaining experience in fire suppression and resource management. KC spent over ten years working collaboratively with state, local and federal partners in the fuel reduction program before moving to the Nevada Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. There she worked with partners, landowners and other industry trying to find a collaborative and sustainable approach to sagebrush ecosystem management in Nevada, primarily for sage grouse and other obligate species. KC went back to NDF in 2015 as the Deputy Administrator of Operations managing the natural resource, wildland fire management, aviation, and conservation camp programs. In 2018, she was appointed by Governor Brian Sandoval as the State Forester/Firewarden for NDF and has held this position ever since. 

Moderator:

Jennifer McRae - Assistant Director, Planning and Public Engagement, Ecosystem Management Coordination, USDA Forest Service

Jennifer McRae grew up in California where she spent summers at a cabin surrounded by the Inyo National Forest. Inspired by that experience, McRae pursued a career in natural resource management, completing a Bachelor of Science degree in Soil Resource Management from the University of California at Berkeley, and a Master of Science degree in Soil and Water Science from the University of Arizona. She started her Forest Service career with seasonal positions on the Modoc and Dixie National Forests, and the Rocky Mountain Research Station. McRae then served as a District Ecologist, NEPA Planner, Forest Planner, Natural Resources and Planning Staff Officer, and Acting Deputy Forest Supervisor on the Coronado National Forest, then as Deputy Director for Planning and Watershed for the Southwestern Region. She is now the Assistant Director for Planning and Public Engagement in the Washington Office Ecosystem Management Coordination staff. In that role she is leading the National Old Growth Amendment Team.