Forester Licensing Board (FLB)

10.03: Forester Licensing Board

(1) Composition. The Director shall appoint as his or her agent a five member Forester Licensing Board (hereinafter referred to as the "FLB") for the purposes of assisting and advising him or her in the administration of M.G.L. c.132, §§ 47 through 50 and 304 CMR 10.00 . One member shall be an employee of a federal, state, or a municipal government agency; one member shall be a licensed forester employed in the private sector; one member shall be employed as a faculty member of a college or university in a forest resources or natural resources management program; one member shall be a landowner of classified forest land; and one member shall be a representative of an environmental organization, a land trust, or a consumer group. Four of the members shall have the qualifications necessary to obtain a license to practice forestry in Massachusetts, as defined in 304 CMR 10.00 , two of whom shall be Licensed Foresters.

(2) Terms. At the time the FLB is initially appointed, the Director shall appoint two members for one-year terms, two members for two-year terms, and one member for a three-year term. Subsequent appointments shall be for three-year terms. No member shall be appointed for more than two consecutive full terms.

(3) Responsibilities. The FLB shall assist and advise the Director by performing the following responsibilities:

(a) examining the credentials of all first time applicants to become a Licensed Forester, and recommending to the Director the names of those deemed by the FLB to be qualified or not qualified for such license;

(b) reviewing, upon the request of the Director, the credentials of individuals applying for renewal of a license to practice forestry in the Commonwealth, and recommending to the Director the names of all those deemed by the FLB to be eligible or ineligible;

(c) assisting and advising the Director in implementing disciplinary and investigatory proceedings as described in 304 CMR 10.05; and

(d) maintaining a written record of any deliberations and decisions reached at each meeting.

(4) Meetings. The FLB shall meet at least once a year, or as often as necessary to comply with the 90-day application processing requirement in 304 CMR 10.04. The Director shall call the first meeting of the FLB. The last order of business at each meeting shall be to set the time and place of the next meeting, subject to the approval of the Director.

Current membership of the FLB includes:

• Lincoln Fish: (licensed forester employed in the private sector). Private consulting forester. MLF # 69
• Tom Ryan: (employee of a federal, state, or a municipal government agency). Service Forester, Bureau of Forestry, Department of Conservation and Recreation. MLF # 365
• Matt Kelty: (faculty member of a college or university in a forest resources or natural resources management program). Associate Professor, UMass-Amherst, Department of Natural Resources Conservation
• Keith Ross: (representative of an environmental organization, a land trust, or a consumer group). Northeast Wilderness Trust, MLF #211
• Robert Beham: (landowner of classified forest land).MLF #270

For more information on the FLB, contact

TOM RYAN
1048 North Road
Westfield, MA 01085
Phone: (413) 532-6872
Email: tom.ryan@state.ma.us

page last updated: 4 March 2008