Xi Sigma Pi —the International Forestry Honor Society with 45 Chapters across the United States and Canada —recently announced that Brendan Kelly (Class of 2020) was awarded the Northeast Region Scholarship for 2020. This prestigious award recognizes Brendan’s leadership, professional activities, and academic achievement. This is the second year in a row that a graduating senior from the UMass Forestry program won this highly competitive scholarship—Jacob Seidel was the 2019 winner. Jacob is working for the USDA Forest Service on the Manchester District of the Green Mountain National Forest in Vermont. His silviculture team leader, Jessie Prucnal, is also a UMass Forestry graduate (Class of 2014). Professors Barten (University of Minnesota, 1984), Catanzaro (UMass Amherst, 2018), Fletcher (UMass Amherst, 2008), and Patterson (University of Minnesota, 1969) are also members of Xi Sigma Pi.
The UMass Department of Environmental Conservation is proud to train such high-quality professionals to conserve our forests and the many essential benefits they provide. Congratulations to Brendan, Jacob, and the Class of 2020.
