GLENS FALLS, NY – Finch Paper LLC’s senior forester has been elected vice president of the world’s largest association of professional foresters.
Roger A. Dziengeleski, vice president of external operations and continuous improvement, will serve as vice president of the 13,000-member Society of American Foresters (SAF) beginning January 1, 2010. Following the Society’s normal chain of succession, Mr. Dziengeleski will become SAF president in 2011. A Finch forester for 33 years, Mr. Dziengeleski has overseen all forest management services for the company since 1991.
“This is a tremendous accomplishment for Roger, and reflects the great respect he holds among the American forestry community,” said Joseph F. Raccuia, the company’s president and CEO. “Finch has an extremely proud tradition of responsible forestry, and Roger has been a leading contributor to our success in that area for more than three decades.”
“I have always said that being a forester is the best job in the world,” Mr. Dziengeleski said. “I look forward to helping people gain a better understanding of our profession, our science, and the invaluable contributions that healthy, growing forests provide society in the form of paper and wood products, wildlife habitat, recreational opportunities, and environmental services such as carbon sequestration and clean water.”
Mr. Dziengeleski has been a member of the not-for-profit SAF since 1976, and was honored as the Forester of the Year by the New York State Society of American Foresters in 2001. As national vice president, he said he hopes to unite SAF members across the country to become more effective educators and advocates on forestry-related issues.
“As a nation, we need to adjust our thinking and our government policies to ensure that America’s forests remain as forests, and that they are available to society as a source of a perpetually renewable, environmentally sound raw material,” he said. “America is losing more than 4,000 acres of open space to development every year. This not only drives up the cost of forest products used by society, it shifts our country’s wood demand to the forests of nations where rules governing forest management and manufacturing may not be as prevalent.”
Mr. Dziengeleski ran for election against Lyle Laverty, who served as assistant secretary of the interior for fish and wildlife and parks under President George W. Bush, and previously served as director of Colorado state parks and associate deputy chief of the U.S. Forest Service.
Mr. Dziengeleski began his career with Finch Paper as a forester in 1978 after serving four years in the U. S. Air Force and earning his bachelor of science degree in forest management from the University of Maine in Orono. He has overseen the company’s Woodlands Department since 1991.
Since becoming an SAF member, Mr. Dziengeleski has served in a variety of positions at both the national and state levels. At the national level, he currently serves as a representative to the SAF Council (2007-2009) and on the Council Finance Investments Committee (2007-2009). He previously served on the National Convention Program Committee (1998-2000), the Corporate Sponsors Board (2000-2001), the Media Relations Network, and the Centennial Celebration Fund Raising Committee. At the state level he has held several positions with the New York State Society, including chair (1993-1994), Executive Committee member (1993-1995), past chair (1994-1995), and Publicity Committee member.
A respected voice on forestry-related issues throughout his career, Mr. Dziengeleski has held leadership positions with the Society of American Foresters, the American Forest & Paper Association, the Empire State Forest Products Association, the New York State Sustainable Forestry Initiative Implementation Committee, the New York Center for Forestry Research & Development, the New York Forest Practice Board, the New York State Region 5 Open Space Advisory Committee, the New York State Tree Farm Committee, and New York Project Learning Tree.
Mr. Dziengeleski and his wife, Ellen, live in Gansevoort, NY. The Dziengeleskis have three adult sons, Seth, Ben and Alan.
About Finch Paper
Finch Paper is widely recognized for the quality of its uncoated printing papers, its industry-leading customer service, and its commitment to sustainable forestry. Finch Premium Blend, Finch Fine® text and cover, Finch Casa Opaque, Finch Opaque and the Finch Digital portfolio are popular choices for corporate marketing materials, direct mail, book publishing, and business office use. All Finch Premium Blend, Finch Fine® and Finch Casa Opaque products are Forest Steward Council (FSC) Chain-of-Custody Certified, and all of the fiber utilized by Finch Paper across its product line is certified by the Sustainable Forestry Initiative® (SFI) program. As part of a landmark environmental partnership with The Nature Conservancy (TNC), Finch foresters manage more than 100,000 acres of forestland owned by TNC in New York’s famed Adirondack Region.
Finch Paper samples and swatchbooks can be ordered at www.finchpaper.com. For more information on Finch Paper, please call (800) 833-9983 or contact your local Finch Paper merchant (directory available at http://finchpaper.com/find-distributors/index.php).
About The Society of American Foresters
The Society of American Foresters (SAF) is the national scientific and educational organization representing the forestry profession in the United States. Founded in 1900 by Gifford Pinchot, it is the largest professional society for foresters in the world. The mission of the Society of American Foresters is to advance the science, education, technology, and practice of forestry; to enhance the competency of its members; to establish professional excellence; and, to use the knowledge, skills, and conservation ethic of the profession to ensure the continued health and use of forest ecosystems and the present and future availability of forest resources to benefit society.
