Posted: November 24, 2020

The Center for Private Forests at Penn State is pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Allyson Muth as the Center Director.

Employed at Penn State since 2004, Dr. Muth has served as Interim Director since January 2018, following the retirement of Dr. Jim Finley, with whom she founded the Center in 2011. The Center, housed within the University's Department of Ecosystem Science and Management, operates at the intersection of people and forests, with a primary focus on those who own and care for the woods. The Center uses applied research to meet the needs and advance the understanding of landowners, partners, and other stakeholders, and to inspire long-term stewardship of private lands.

During Dr. Muth's nearly three-year tenure as the Interim Director, she has demonstrated both skill and success in obtaining and implementing large and small grants and leading applied research projects focusing on forest legacy planning, forest landowner values and actions, consulting forester and landowner interactions, and conservation organizations managing working forests under easements. Her body of work includes projects conducted collaboratively with other universities and collaborative efforts with external groups engaged in forestry and natural resources. Dr. Muth leads and facilitates the Pennsylvania Forest Stewards volunteers, a peer-to-peer education program hosted and supported by the Center, which is important for reaching and understanding the state's 740,000 private forest landowners and their needs. She also serves on Penn State's Forestry and Wildlife Extension team, bringing Center insights to their work. Dr. Muth is gaining regional and national recognition through her work and the Center. She currently serves as the chair of the Northeast Forest Resources Extension and Outreach Council and is part of many national and regional initiatives on forest legacy planning. 

The Center for Private Forests, under Dr. Muth's leadership, is advancing research that enables those who care about the long-term health and vitality of forests to work together to enlarge the conversation about the care of privately held forests. Working through the College of Agricultural Sciences, and the University as a whole, the Center is strengthening the capacity of privately-owned forests to deliver important social, economic, and ecological values today and into our future.

Contact Information

Barb Sellers
  • Administrative Support Assistant

James C. Finley Center for Private Forests

Address

416 Forest Resources Building
University Park, PA 16802

James C. Finley Center for Private Forests

Address

416 Forest Resources Building
University Park, PA 16802