Richard G. Wallace

Richard G. "Dick" Wallace earned his B.S. in forestry in 1956. His subsequent employment as a forester with the Pennsylvania Department of Forests and Waters was interrupted by two years of military service. In 1960 he began a 32-year career with Hammermill Paper Company, which became part of International Paper Company in a 1987 merger. He held a number of positions with the company including procurement forester; district forester; supervisor of wood procurement, Erie operations; wood procurement manager, Wisconsin operations; and Northern Timberlands manager. He earned the reputation of being an effective problem solver for the company, establishing reliable and cost-effective operations and programs wherever assigned.

In the 1980s, Wallace helped found the Northeast Petroleum-Forest Resources Cooperative, managed by the State University of New York, to bring together both subsurface owners (oil and gas interests) and surface owners (forest landowners and foresters) to discuss concerns and objectives in an open environment. Wallace served as director of the cooperative for several years.

Also in the 1980s, Wallace convinced Hammermill management to become a 50-percent owner of NORTIM, a new company that provided much-needed insurance protection for loggers. As executive vice president of NORTIM, Wallace was instrumental in developing an affordable worker's compensation rate. He was also helped establish the Timber Harvesting Council (THC) of Pennsylvania, a nonprofit corporation that provided logger training. In 1994, Wallace accepted for THC the prestigious Three Rivers Environmental Award for excellence in advancing environmental quality in western Pennsylvania.

Wallace's service throughout his career includes involvement and leadership with many forestry-related associations, committees, and boards in Wisconsin and Pennsylvania, including the Society of American Foresters, the Pennsylvania Forestry Association, and the School of Forest Resources Advisory Board and Alumni Group Board of Directors. He has also been active in Rotary and Exchange clubs.

Since retiring from International Paper Company in 1992, Wallace has been active as a forestry consultant. He owns and operates Wallace and Associates, Inc. In 2004, Wallace published Building Family Wealth by Investing in Rural Land and Trees to address "the critical need to improve the productivity of our forests while protecting the environment around us." A percentage of the sale profits are being donated to the Penn State School of Forest Resources Alumni Fund for Teaching Excellence.