Alan W. Sam

Alan W. Sam began his forestry career after completing the B.S. degree in Forest Science in 1981. His initial work experiences involved stints with the USDA Forest Service, Colorado State Forest Service, and USDI Bureau of Indian Affairs. In 1983, he returned to Penn State to undertake graduate work with Dr. Todd Bowersox, which provided foundational research for a 10-year project on oak regeneration. After completing the M.S. in Forest Resources in 1985, Alan moved south to focus on urban and community forests in Virgina and Maryland at the Winkler Botanical Preserve and then the Maryland Forest Park and Wildlife Service. The four years he spent in urban forestry inspired him to return to State College and become the borough arborist and environmental coordinator.

Alan was hired by State College Borough in 1989 and initially tasked with managing the borough’s 7,000+ street trees and a recently implemented flower bed program. Over the years, his responsibilities expanded to include management of all municipal grounds, parks, buildings (two years only), and bikeways. He also oversaw the new sustainability initiative for the borough and coordinated efforts with Penn State's Sustainability Office. The borough staff he supervised increased to three full-time tree workers, a sustainability assistant, several AmeriCorps members, and several summer tree workers (most were actively recruited Penn State forestry students). Over the years, he spent time working with Penn State students, including internships, street and park tree inventories, and tree planting.

Alan managed State College's trees as a forest system rather than as individual trees, which was critical in weathering major threats, including Dutch Elm Disease, Elm Yellows, Verticillium Wilt, and Emerald Ash Borer. He also initiated and incorporated innovative techniques related to sidewalk/tree conflicts, including the use of structural soils.

As Alan's work received statewide recognition and praise, the State Urban Forester visited State College to gather and pass these concepts on to the rest of the Commonwealth. Bus tours of State College's urban forest were commonplace.

State College was originally designated as a Tree City USA in 1984, and Alan successfully retained this designation for the 32 years he was arborist. This required continuous program improvements and annual Arbor Day celebrations. He managed a budget of more than $700,000 but also garnered more than $1,000,000 in state and federal grants to help pay for park improvements, tree plantings, playground equipment, tree inventories, development of management plans, flower bed installation, and more. He authored and co-authored municipal documents, including the first Master Tree Plan, the first Sustainability Plan, the Emerald Ash Borer Plan, Contract Tree Pruning Specs, recommended street tree planting lists, a tree ordinance, and an all-encompassing Rules and Regulations for Arbor Work. He was project manager for several key projects, such as the Downtown Master Plan, which recommended various street designs and building developments, and staff specialist on the borough’s Design Review Board, reviewing landscaping for all projects within the borough, including Penn State’s main campus.

For more than 30 years, Alan provided "Tree Walks" in State College to groups of both children and adults. At one point in his career, all State College Area School District’s 5^th grade students attended one of his Tree Walks as part of their curriculum. Every fall and spring, Alan also offered a Tree Walk course through Penn State's OLLI (Osher Lifelong Learning Institute) program, which he continues today.

Alan has served on numerous local boards and commissions, including Secretary to the borough's Tree Commission, Millbrook Marsh Advisory Committee, Thompson Woods Nature Preserve Advisory Committee, Chair of the borough's Sustainability Committee, and Centre Region Sustainability Committee.

Alan has also served our department and University. He worked closely with Dr. Bill Elmendorf and the Penn State Extension Urban Foresters on presentations and publications used in hundreds of communities. He was an invited guest and advisor to Penn State’s Tree Commission. He served for over 20 years on our department's Advisory Board and was on many departmental Search Committees. He was a regular guest lecturer and instructor in various Penn State classes, including Silviculture, Urban Forestry, and Landscape Architecture. He served on the Gerhold Wildflower Trail Advisory Committee and the Arboretum's Woodlot Restoration Corps. Alan was active in promoting the department's Centennial Celebration in 2007, reaching out directly to alumni and encouraging them to participate.

Alan has also provided leadership at the state and national levels. He was on the Board of Directors and Treasurer of the International Society of Arboriculture (ISA), Penn-Del Chapter, and served as the Tree Academy Chair for the 2004 international meeting of ISA held in Pittsburgh. He was the Chair of the Urban Forestry Committee of the Pennsylvania Forestry Association, and was President, and is still currently a member, of the Executive Board of the state-level Urban and Community Forestry Council (Tree Pennsylvania).

Alan's years of practical experience and leadership in urban and community forestry have made him a person that people go to for advice and guidance. In 2007, he received the Community Forestry Award from the PA Urban and Community Forestry Council, and in 2019 he received the John B. Ward Outstanding Person in Arboriculture presented by the Penn-Del Chapter of ISA.

Alan realized his love of the outdoors and his interest in forestry at an early age. His father, who served in the CCCs in Potter County, always loved to take his family back to the area on frequent camping, hunting, and fishing excursions. These trips to the Northern Tier of Pennsylvania were an opportunity for Alan's father to share his love of nature and outdoor experiences with his family, and they opened Alan's eyes and interest in exploring the wonders, openness, and solitude of Pennsylvania's forests. His early job opportunities helped him to focus and build on urban forestry as his profession.

Alan and his wife Deb live just outside of State College in Stormstown. They enjoy traveling the country (49 of 50 states) and camping in Pennsylvania's beautiful state parks. They have a son, Kyle, and grandson, Grayson, who live in South Carolina.

March 2025