Introducing SAF’s 2022 Henry Clepper Forest Policy Intern: Tamera Breidenbach

June 10, 2022

Photo courtesy of Tamera Breidenbach

SAF is excited to welcome our 2022 Henry Clepper Forest Policy Intern, Tamera Breidenbach! Tamera will spend the summer working alongside the Policy and Public Affairs Team at SAF’s national headquarters in Washington, DC, to advance policy that supports the sustainable management of our nation’s forests. 

Tamera is currently enrolled at Colorado State University in Fort Collins, Colorado, where she is pursuing a Master of Science in Forest Sciences. Tamera is studying forest health and resilience through the lens of state adaptation policy, an area of focus linked to her upbringing in Western North Carolina’s Cradle of Forestry. With her grandmother’s cabin sitting along a service road near Pisgah National Forest and the Linville National Gorge Wilderness Area, Tamera became aware of our relationship to forests and the many services they offer from an early age.  

“The stressors our forests and forest-adjacent communities are experiencing pushed me to become more involved in how we address the grand challenges they face,” Tamera explained. “I wanted to work with the Society of American Foresters because of their longstanding and respected role in the forest sector. I’d like to learn how SAF is working to facilitate sustainable and adaptable forest management as well as strengthen my understanding of forest policy. My hope this summer is to gain professional experience, advance SAF’s mission to support forestry professionals, and build my professional network within the forestry community.”