Dave Lewis Begins Term as SAF President
January 12, 2018
Bethesda, MD — On January 1, 2018, David S. “Dave” Lewis, CF, ACF, of Monticello, Florida, began his one-year term as President of the Society of American Foresters. Founded in 1900 by Gifford Pinchot and headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland, the Society of American Foresters (SAF) is a national organization that represents and serves over 11,000 forestry professionals in the United States. Lewis will continue serving on SAF’s Board of Directors for the next two years, including as Chair in 2018. He previously served on SAF’s Board from 2012 to 2014 as the District 10 representative, which encompasses Alabama, Florida, and Georgia. Additionally, Lewis has held numerous state, local, and regional offices for SAF and is an SAF Fellow.
Lewis is Vice President and a principal of Southern Forestry Consultants, Inc., a full-service forestry consulting firm founded in 1987 with offices in Enterprise, Alabama; Bainbridge, Georgia; and Monticello, Florida. SFC and its wildlife/environmental division, Wiregrass Ecological Associates, service the forest management needs of private landowners, industry, government, and non-profits, while managing over one million acres in Florida, Georgia, and Alabama. Lewis, who manages the Monticello office, is also a principal in SFC’s sister company, Southern Forestry Realty, Inc., and holds a Florida Real Estate Salesperson license.
A 1979 graduate of the University of Florida with a Bachelor’s Degree in Forest Resources and Conservation, Lewis has over 38 years of experience in the timber markets and forest land management. He is also a member of the Association of Consulting Foresters, and has served as President and Secretary/Treasurer of ACF’s Florida Chapter. Lewis is also a member of the Florida Forestry Association, the Georgia Forestry Association, Florida Farm Bureau, Forest History Society, Florida Cattleman’s Association, and Forest Landowners Association.
Dave and his wife, Mona, reside on his family’s farm, Ridgecrest Farm LLC, in Jefferson County, Florida, and they have two grown children, Jacob (Nashville, TN) and Abby (Winter Park, FL). They are active in Element 3 Church in Tallahassee, where Dave is on E3’s Wise Council.