Stephen G. Smith is a Registered Professional Forester (RFP) who has worked in the public, private and non-profit arenas. In his roles as a forester/manager for CAL FIRE, Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), and RCDs and as a private /non-profit forester/director, he has forged new mechanisms to help restore forests and watersheds and has identified pathways for a sustainable economy. He helped create Redwood Forest Foundation, Inc (RFFI) and was the initial manager of the Usal Forest. Prior to retirement, he managed CAL FIRE Landowner Incentive Programs and was the State Forester for NRCS for California. Before coming to the State Headquarters in both Sacramento and Davis, he was the District Conservationist for 7 years in both Ukiah Field Office and in the Colusa Field Office. Before joining NRCS, he worked with CDF for 9 years, had his own business for 9 years, job hopped in FSC Forest Certification doing national and international forestry for 9 years and spent 3 years as head forester for the City and County of San Francisco. His firm, S.G.Smith and Associates, specialized in forestry issues in the rural-urban interface, forest certification, and private and community forest management. He received his forestry degree from the University of California, Berkeley with an emphasis in soils.
