Stephen William May III (Billy) of Sawyerville, Alabama, was recently appointed by Governor Robert Bentley to serve a five-year term on the Alabama Forestry Commission. This seven-member board of commissioners, appointed by the Governor and approved by the State Senate, is responsible for setting policy for the Forestry Commission, the state agency charged with protecting and sustaining Alabama’s forest resources.
A 1963 graduate of Greensboro High School, May completed three campaigns in the I Corps Phu Bai-Hue area of Vietnam while serving in the U.S. Army. In 1977 he received a Bachelor of Science degree from Mississippi State University, School of Forest Resources. Further education included graduation from the Alabama Criminal Justice Training Center in 1979.
As a licensed registered forester in Alabama, May has worked in both the private sector and state government during his career. Currently, he is a private forestry consultant operating as May Forestry and Natural Resources Management. Previous corporate jobs included Macmillan Bloedel, Inc. at Pine Hill, and the Mobile-based forestry consulting firm Larson & McGowan, Inc., working at their Demopolis branch with forest management responsibilities. In 1987 he was named Vice President and Chief Forester for Delaney Development, responsible for land purchase, forest management and sales, as well as wildlife management.
May’s employment with the Alabama Forestry Commission spanned from the southern tip of the state to the north, beginning in Mobile County in 1969, to later serving as county forester in Morgan County. Most recently, as Fire Division Director with the agency from 2005-2012, his duties involved statewide fire control, rural community fire protection, and prescribed fire grant oversight.
Also a landowner, May returned with his wife Terri in 2013 to the May Farm, where he grew up in Hale County. This recognized “Century Farm,” located several miles west of Sawyerville near the Black Warrior River, was owned and farmed by his father, grandfather, and great-grandfather. The Mays have three daughters. He is a member of Calvary Baptist Church in Tuscaloosa.
May has previously served on two other state boards including the Conservation Advisory Board of the Alabama Department of Conservation & Natural Resources for ten years, and the Alabama State Board of Registration for Foresters for five years.
Replacing C. Irvin Eatman, Jr. of Eutaw, May joins other members of the Alabama Forestry Commission including Chairman Tommy Thompson of Thomasville; Vice-Chairman Jerry Dwyer of Auburn; Kenneth Real of Detroit; Jane T. Russell of Lapine; Dr. Salem Saloom of Brewton; and Jerry M. Smith of Vernon.
The Alabama Forestry Commission protects and sustains Alabama’s forest resources using professionally applied stewardship principals and education, ensuring that the state’s forests contribute to abundant timber and wildlife, clean air and water, and a healthy economy. To learn more about the AFC, visit www.forestry.alabama.gov.