Forest Worker Spotlight: Cierra Ward

Think forests are for the boys? Think again! See how Cierra in North Carolina is making major waves with her career in the forest industry.

Cierra Ward is a forestry manager with RMS based out of Jacksonville, NC with more than 17 years of experience. She manages all silvicultural activities and hunt clubs on RMS' 275,000 footprint in NC.

Cierra is a NC Registered Forester and in 2020, Cierra was elected to lead the Association of Southern Boards of Registration for Foresters and was named an FRA Emerging Leader in 2019. She serves on the board of directors of the NCFA, is the communications chair for the NC SFI SIC, and is a certified ProLogger. In 2022, Cierra was recognized by the University of Florida “40 Gators Under 40”.

When asked why she chose forestry as a career, Cierra says “My dad worked in agronomy and agriculture and passed a strong sense of land ethic to me. In high school I participated in Envirothon and in college I enrolled in environmental science. It was my forestry classes that allowed me to gain hands on critical knowledge, [so] I switched majors and I felt like I found my path.”

To find out more about careers in the forest industry, click here #ForestryWorks #NorthCarolinaForestryWorks