Foresters Honored with Statewide Award
Three foresters with exemplary careers were recognized with the John F. Datena Distinguished Forester Award at the recent Indiana Forestry & Woodland Owners Association annual conference.
Mike Warner of Lizton, Jim Wichman of Medora, and Dan Meisberger of Holton were recognized for their leadership in forestry and support for Indiana woodland owners. The award was named after former state forester John F. Datena to honor his commitment to Indiana forestry.
Mike Warner has worked as a consulting forester for thirty-plus years, after starting with the Natural Resources Conservation Service and co-managing a private nursery growing containerized trees. In his role as consulting forester, he provides management services to help landowners reach their goals. Mike also provides his expertise to state and regional boards including the Indiana Invasive Species Council.
Jim Wichman spent his career with the Indiana DNR Division of Forestry. He started as a district forester assisting landowners, then pivoted to Vallonia State Tree Nursery Supervisor, a position he held for 31 years. Jim developed the Indiana state tree nurseries into a model example of hardwood seedling quality and distributed millions of trees to Indiana residents over his tenure.
With a 42-year career as a private consulting forester in southeast Indiana, Dan Meisberger retired in 2019 but passed the torch to his son to continue assisting landowners. Over his career he planted over 2 million trees and helped improve many thousands of acres of woodlands through his forest management work.
Summing up the conservation ethic of all of the awardees, IFWOA executive director Liz Jackson stated, “These three honorees have devoted decades of work to the betterment of Indiana forestry, and we can’t thank them enough for their commitment. Our woodlands are better off due to their efforts.”
The honorees were selected by the Indiana Association of Consulting Foresters, Indiana Society of American Foresters, and Indiana Forestry & Woodland Owners Association.
