Forest Service Names New Southern Research Station Director

Dr. Jim Reaves

Dr. Jim Reaves assumed the helm of the Forest Service’s Southern Research Station (SRS), headquartered in Asheville, NC, in January 2008. He is distinguished as only the second director since the Southeastern Forest Experiment Station in Asheville and the Southern Forest Experiment Station in New Orleans merged in 1995 — creating the leading research organization for natural resource management and sustainability in the southern U.S. His leadership comes at a time when forest science research is poised to have a voice in land management decisions affecting changing wildland and urban landscapes.

“I am excited to come back to the South and work with the Station’s
esteemed scientists whose research is recognized internationally,” says
Reaves, who served as a SRS project leader, research scientist, and
assistant station director from 1991-1998 as well as a team leader
during the consolidation of the two experiment stations. “My hope is to
foster an atmosphere that encourages our employees to conduct
innovative and useable research that informs natural resources policy
and land management decisions. I want the Station to be the premier
natural resources organization that leads cutting-edge research and
encourages and values a dynamic and diverse workforce.”

A 26-year careerist with the Forest Service, Reaves understands the
agency and knows his science. Most recently, as Associate Deputy Chief
for Research and Development in Washington, DC, he provided national
leadership for research programs and enhanced the agency’s external
partnerships. Reaves has also held key Forest Service positions and
conducted research on the east and west coasts. Additionally, he
represented the U.S. as a delegate to the United Nations Forum on
Forestry in Switzerland, led scientists on a USDA delegation to China,
and served as a keynote speaker at a forest restoration conference in
Seoul, Korea. A pathologist by training, Reaves’ research has been
published in national and international science journals.

Reaves’ wealth of experience gives him exceptional insight into leading
a science organization that can lend sound science to emerging forest
issues. “We will continue to place emphasis on forecasting natural
resource issues for land managers and policy makers, ensuring our
science is consistently relevant to current issues and diverse
audiences,” notes Reaves, who will focus on people, partnerships, and
communications during his tenure. He is committed to helping employees
“be empowered, grow, and contribute” to the agency; developing and
enhancing effective partnerships to interconnect social and economic
natural resources issues; and exploring new and improved communication
technologies to share cutting-edge science to internal and external
audiences.

“So much has changed regarding natural resources issues in the South
since I last worked at the Station,” said Reaves, who grew up on a
tobacco farm in rural South Carolina. “This is an exciting time for
natural resources research as we address rapidly changing land uses and
serious impacts from drought, wildland fire, and other natural
disturbances. I also strongly believe that SRS is positioned to deliver
our science in a timely, effective manner that is comprehended by a
variety of audiences. When people think about natural resources in the
South, I want them to think of the Southern Research Station.”

Reaves earned a bachelor’s degree in biology from Voorhees College in
Denmark, SC, and a master’s and doctorate, both in biology/plant
pathology, from Atlanta University in Georgia. He is a member of the
Society of American Foresters, the American Phytopathological Society,
the Smithsonian, the Kennedy Center, and Omega Psi Phi Fraternity.
Reaves and wife, Adrienne Scott-Reaves, are avid dog lovers and enjoy
the outdoors with their Bichon Friese and Japanese Akita.

About the Southern Research Station

The Southern Research Station is the leading organization for research
on natural resource management and sustainability in the southern U.S.,
serving 13 southern states and beyond. A staff of 130 scientists is
organized into five science areas-threats to forest health; forest
ecosystem restoration and management; forest values, uses, and
policies; forest watershed science; and natural resource inventory and
monitoring.

Scientists, science technicians, and other support personnel conduct
research at various locations throughout the region, including federal
laboratories, universities, and experimental forests. Please visit
www.srs.fs.usda.gov for additional information.