State Forester Carl E. Garrison III

Carl E. Garrison III has served as the State Forester for the Commonwealth of Virginia since November 2004. As State Forester, he is responsible for the administrative, policy, organizational development and operational areas associated with maintaining the value of the state's forest resource. Virginia's 15.8 Million acres of forest land provide the basis for more than 144,000 forest industry jobs and provide more than $27.5 Billion in annual benefits to the Commonwealth.

Prior to his initial gubernatorial appointment in 2004, Carl was a regional forester for the Virginia Department of Forestry, a position responsible for 22 counties in the north-central and northwestern region of Virginia. He has also worked in private industry as a consulting forester. Carl received his B.S. in Forestry and Wildlife Management from Virginia Tech. He is a Certified Forester, an active member of the Society of American Foresters (SAF), and served as Chairperson for the Virginia Division of SAF. Carl is an avid outdoorsman and enjoys many outdoor sports, including waterfowl hunting. A native of Richmond, Virginia, he is married and has one son.