Scott Hillard

Scott Hillard, Biometrician in Colorado, started his career in 2016. He has a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology from the University of Alaska, Fairbanks, a Master's degree in GIS from Michigan Technological University, and a Ph.D. in Forest Science from Michigan Technological University. Scott is a member of the Society of American Foresters and Xi Sigma Pi-Alpha Eta Chapter.

Why did you pursue a career in forestry? I spent a number of years living in a rural village on the border of Nyika National Park in Malawi as a Peace Corps Volunteer. I saw firsthand the pressures leveled on natural resources, especially forest resources. I was passionate about curbing deforestation, and I wanted to find a solution. More importantly, I saw that for a solution to be effective, it had to work fast. I went against the grain and promoted woodlot planting with fast-growing, non-native species such as eucalyptus and pine in order to create purposeful forestry spaces where villages could derive value, and take the pressure off native forests. At the same time, promoting replanting of native species on the border of the park, to enhance the buffer and promote less extractive entrepreneurial activities such as bee-keeping. In my time living on the border of Nyika, I worked with locals and established 30 new woodlots and rehabilitated 10, while also assisting local villages to plant over 10,000 native trees along the border of the park. My work in Malawi showed me a lot about the need for forests and the power of purposeful plantation systems to take pressure off wild woodlands. I parlayed this experience into a Ph.D in biometrics for fast-growing species, i.e., hybrid poplars, at Michigan Technological University. This has led to a number of positions in the public and now private sector, but the underlying pursuit is the same: how do we maximize growth locally to reduce impact globally? Seeing the need for pragmatic interventions that provide the resources we need while taking the pressure off the natural world has driven my pursuit of a career in forestry.

What do you like the most about your role with AFM?As a student of the biological sciences, you cannot help but see that organisms thrive not because of competition, but because of cooperation. Think of the organelles that make up our cells, all these specialized structures that cooperate to provide for the functions of life. I think of AFM in the same way, specialized pieces coming together to create the whole. The teams I get to interact with at AFM are incredible; everyone is working so diligently to achieve success on behalf of our clients. Of course, in my realm, the fact that I work with such an amazing team of biometricians and the support we give to one another makes the heavy lift easy. We spend so much of our waking life at work; it's very satisfying to work with such a great group of folks.