The Alabama Forestry Commission (AFC) is pleased to announce Dana McReynolds Stone as
the new Director of the Forest Management Division, effective November 16. A
registered forester in the state of Alabama with more than 25 years of
experience in the fields of forest management and protection, Stone has served in a variety of positions within the agency
since 1999. Her extensive experience in managing multiple grants also
makes her an ideal candidate for this new role.
For
the past 15 years, Stone has served as the AFC Forest Health Coordinator. Her
responsibilities included identifying harmful forest pests and making
recommendations to the state’s forest landowners to help manage or eradicate
forest insects, diseases, and non-native invasive plants. In 2004 and 2005,
Dana held the position of geographic information systems (GIS) mapping
forester. For the four years before that, she was an outreach forester for the
agency, working with minority and limited resource landowners of the state to
provide forest management advice.
Prior to joining
the AFC in January of 1999, Stone was
employed as an agricultural assistant with the USDA Natural Resources
Conservation Service. She previously worked (from 1994 to 1998) at Mead Coated
Board (WestRock) as a research technician and a geographic information systems
(GIS) technician.
A native of Birmingham, Alabama, Dana lived
most of her primary years in St. Louis, Missouri. She earned her bachelor’s
degree from Spelman College and a master’s degree in Forestry from Auburn
University. She and her husband, Timothy Stone, reside in Montgomery with one
child, Toryn.
As
AFC Forest Management Division Director, Mrs. Stone will oversee the
implementation of various program areas including Forest Stewardship, Forest
Legacy, Landowner Assistance, Urban and Community Forestry, State Lands, Forest
Inventory & Analysis and Economic Development, Threatened & Endangered
Species, and Best Management Practices for Water Quality.