On the Ballot: SAF 2025 Board Elections and Referendum

Annual board member elections will take place September 1 – 30, 2025. A referendum on Governance Organization is also on the ballot this year. Read on for details on this year’s candidates and referendum.

When are elections?

SAF national election voting opens September 1 at 7:00a.m. Eastern. Voting closes September 30 at 11:59pm Hawaii Standard Time.

Who can vote?

Voting members on record as of July 25 will receive a ballot. Voting members include all member types except Affiliate members. Note: Student members are eligible to vote. 

How to Vote 

Members will receive a Pre-voting email from our election vendor, Intelliscan, from the email address [email protected] on August 7. This message helps verify email addresses to ensure proper delivery of digital ballots.

Members without a valid email address on file will receive a paper ballot by mail.

On September 1, electronic ballots will be issued via email from Intelliscan with a personalized voting link.

2025 Candidates

All voting members will vote for the Vice President.

Members in Districts 2, 5, 8, and 11 will also vote for their District Board Representative.

Learn more about the candidates in the August issue of the Forestry Source.

Governance Organization Referendum

This year, members will also vote on a referendum to adopt proposed changes to SAF’s organizational governance. Key proposed changes include:

  • Reducing the overall size of the Board of Directors

  • Emphasizing knowledge and skills in Board member selection

  • Updating the Nominating Committee charter and establishing a new Leadership Development Committee to identify, recruit, evaluate, and nominate Board members

  • Moving to a non-competitive slate process for Board elections

The proposed changes require an amendment to the SAF National bylaws. A two-thirds majority of members voting is required for approval.

The referendum will appear on the same ballot as the Vice President and District Representative elections, beginning September 1.


To learn more, visit the following resources:

Organizational Structure webpage

Time to Evolve: Why SAF Must Modernize Its Board Structure in the August issue of the Forestry Source.

Have Your Referendum Questions Answered

Join SAF Board President Bettina Ring, SAF Board Vice President Tara Bal, and SAF CEO Terry Baker for a virtual Q&A session:

SAF Connect: Leadership Q & A
August 12
3:30-4:30 PM ET

Register here to attend. (Members must sign in and register for the event.)