FINDLAY, OHIO Two state foresters working in northwest Ohio, Joe Puperi and Mike Jurkiewicz, recently received awards for their professional work.
Puperi received the Ohio Society of American Foresters’ 2003 Communicator of the Year Award. Puperi works out of the Ohio Department of Natural Resources Division of Forestry district office in Findlay, and has been a service forester to landowners in northwest Ohio for five years. He also serves as the webmaster for the society’s website and maintains the database for the Ohio Tree Farm program.
Jurkiewicz received the Ohio Forestry Association’s 2003 Conservation Award for Outstanding Individual in Government Service. Jurkiewicz also works out of the district office in Findlay and has been a service forester in northwest Ohio for 25 years. Throughout his career, Jurkiewicz has been very active in the Ohio Tree Farm Program, serving as the State Chairman of the Ohio Tree Farm Committee in 1995. In 1991 he was the nominating forester for the Ohio Tree Farmer of the Year, George Wilson. Jurkiewicz also serves as the professional resource for the West Central Ohio Forest Association, which he helped establish in 1988.
The ODNR Division of Forestry manages 20 state forests on more than 185,000 acres, spanning parts of 21 counties. Using Best Management Practices (BMPs), state foresters demonstrate proper timber management within these forests and assist private landowners with sustainable forest management on their woodlands. Benefits of these properly-managed forests include timber, improved forest health, biodiversity, wildlife habitat, aesthetics and recreational opportunities.