Ryan was first drawn to the northern Sierra Nevada after spending a summer in Meadow Valley nearly 26 years ago. He completed a Bachelor in Science in Forestry (1996) and a Master of Forestry (2001) at the University of California at Berkeley and is a California Registered Professional Forester (No. 3108).   His 18 year federal career included working as a forester and certified silviculturist with the Plumas National Forest and working in the Fire Effects program at the National Park Service.  He is currently the UC Cooperative Extension Forester for Plumas, Sierra, and Lassen counties where his research focuses on forest restoration and post-fire restoration.  When he’s not thinking about trees, he might be helping his Firewise community cut some of them down, or just enjoying a quiet moment in the backcountry with his family.