Forest Health Staff

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Arizona Zone

• Joel McMillin, Arizona Zone Leader
  Arizona Zone Leader and Supervisory Entomologist since May 2019. Primary duties include supervisory and managerial responsibilities for the Arizona Zone staff and providing oversight of Arizona Cooperative Forest Health program of the State Forester’s office. Interests include quantifying impacts of forest insects, bark beetle semiochemicals, stand hazard rating systems for bark beetles and fire-insect interactions. Previously served as Group Leader/Supervisory Entomologist with Boise Field Office in the Intermountain Region and Entomologist with the Arizona Zone.
• Monica Gaylord, Entomologist
  Entomologist with the Arizona Zone since July 2014. Primary responsibilities include providing technical assistance on bark beetle management to federal land managers and conducting bark beetle and wood borer monitoring projects in Arizona. Previously assistant research professor at Northern Arizona University. Research topics included how drought and restoration treatments impact tree susceptibility to southwestern pine bark beetles.
• Amanda Grady, Entomologist
  Entomologist with the Arizona Zone since October 2011. Primary responsibilities include providing technical assistance on forest insect management to federal land managers, forest health monitoring related to defoliating and sap sucking insects, and conducting aerial detection surveys. Special interests include integrated pest management development for emergent invasive insects in Arizona. Previously Entomologist in the Pacific Southwest Region.
• Nick Wilhelmi, Plant Pathologist
  Plant Pathologist with the Arizona Zone since January 2017. Primary responsibilities include providing technical assistance on the management of forest diseases to federal land managers in Arizona and hazard tree program coordinator for the zone. Current interests include conservation of genetic resistance to white pine blister rust in five needle pines, emerging drought driven pathogens, and aspen monitoring.
• Vacant, Forest Health Specialist
  Primary responsibilities include conducting aerial detection surveys, processing and management of forest health spatial data to create forest health products, and providing technical assistance to staff and partners.

New Mexico Zone

• Andrew Graves, New Mexico Zone Leader
  New Mexico Zone Leader since October 2019. Primary duties include supervisory and managerial responsibilities for the New Mexico Zone staff and providing oversight of New Mexico Cooperative Forest Health program of the State Forester’s office. Formerly Entomologist with the New Mexico Zone since October 2010. Previous research experience includes work on spruce ips in Alaska and Jeffrey pine beetle in California. Special interest and experience with thousand canker disease in walnut.
• Greg Reynolds, Plant Pathologist
  Plant pathologist with the New Mexico Zone since January 2017. Primary responsibilities include providing technical assistance on forest disease management to federal land managers in New Mexico and hazard tree program coordinator for the zone. Interests include dwarf mistletoe epidemiology, preserving genetic resistance to white pine blister rust, and surveying conifer nurseries for fungal pathogens.
• Steven Souder, Entomologist
  Entomologist with the New Mexico Zone since October 2020. Primary responsibility is providing technical assistance on forest insect management to federal land managers in New Mexico.
• Vacant, Forest Health Specialist
  Primary responsibilities include conducting aerial detection surveys, processing and management of forest health spatial data to create forest health products, and providing technical assistance to staff and partners.

Regional Staff

• Crystal Tischler, Aerial Survey Program Manager 
  Regional Aerial Survey Program Manager since September 2022. Primary responsibility is managing the Aerial Detection Survey program for the Southwestern Region. Previously served as Forest Health Coordinator with the New Mexico Zone since September 2008. Previous work experience in forest management, fuels reduction, timber sale administration, and community wildfire protection planning.
• Zach Hall, Regional Survey Technician 
  Regional Survey Technician since November 2022. Primary responsibilities include supporting the regional aerial survey, geospatial, and remote sensing programs. Previously worked as an aircraft sensor operator and as a biologist with the National Park Service.
• Janet Nickerman, Invasive Plant Program Manager and Pesticide Use Coordinator
  Invasive Plant Program Manager and Pesticide Use Coordinator since June 2023 and previously served as Acting Regional Invasive Species Program Manager and Pesticide Use Coordinator from August 2022 through February 2023. Formerly the Forest Botanist and Invasive Species Coordinator on the Angeles National Forest in California. Primary responsibilities include providing oversight of pesticide use in the region and guiding the invasive species program for National Forests and in collaboration with State, Private, Tribal and other federal partners in the Southwest.