College of Agriculture & Natural Resources Department of Forestry

Welcome to 2026! 

As 2025 came to a close, I was reminded of the value of belonging and relationships, reflecting on the holiday season and the connections made throughout the year. For many of us, 2025 was a time to recalibrate and adjust to new challenges – perhaps operational changes or responding to historic weather events like the Northern Michigan ice storm. Whether working on a fire crew, field crew or anywhere with uncertainty, one thing is certain: having a good crew makes a world of difference. 

I was fortunate to present and participate in the Women in Forestry International (WoFo) conference this October held in Reykjavik, Iceland (yes, there are forests in Iceland!).  It was remarkable to interact and connect with female foresters from 14 different countries while learning about new strategies for engagement to meet the challenges of managing forests for the future. While the landscapes were amazing, the best experience was that of belonging and finding ‘my people’. 

I shared this to emphasize the value of belonging and to add that we all belong to a pretty awesome group of people: MSU Foresters. Not just foresters, but Spartans.  This year we connected during the football season at the annual tailgate in October. And although the outcome of the game was not as hoped, the interactions were hopefully something to celebrate. More optimistically, MSU Forestry Alumni Association (FAA) efforts are working to continually engage with our current students through mentorship, including mentoring 15 students in 2025, and providing support for conference attendance.   

This year we look forward to forming new connections and supporting MSU forestry students and invite you to join the FAA crew! Whether you are looking to serve as a board member, volunteer on a committee, participate in mentoring students, sponsor an event, make a donation, or simply hang out at SAF or the tailgate, you belong with MSU FAA! The invite is open to connect and learn more about open positions on the FAA board or activities to support. We continually seek donations to advance our mission and support the needs of forestry students. Wherever 2026 leads you, please consider supporting ‘your people’ – MSU Forestry – in some way! 

Go green!

Heidi Frei

MSU FAA President

BS ’02; MS ‘07

Michigan DNR, Parks and Recreation Division

State Park Forest Health Specialist

The mission of FAA is to strengthen and build relationships between alumni and our department, college, students, and friends of MSU that develop, encourage, and implement activities to promote philanthropy, service, and professional development.