Forest Worker Spotlight: Jody McDonald

Maybe you CAN fight fire with fire.  See how Jody is using her fire for good withe the Alabama Forestry Commission.

Jody McDonald is 26 years old and grew up on a farm in Banks, Alabama. After graduating high school she began working full-time at the local hardware store where she had the opportunity to meet a lot of different people which eventually led her to a job in natural resources conservation. Growing up on a farm and spending a majority of her time outdoors, Jody fit naturally into an outdoors focused job and began working at the Alabama Forestry Commission.

Jody’s most important responsibility as a forest ranger is fighting wildfires. When not doing that she is working to prevent wildfires by meeting with landowners to assist them in forest management practices, installing fire breaks, implementing prescribed burns, and performing general maintenance on equipment. All of the training Jody needs to work as a forest ranger was offered to her as on-the-job training, including obtaining her Commercial Driver’s License in order to haul firefighting equipment.

Through the Alabama Forestry Commission’s partnership with the US Forest Service Jody had the opportunity to travel out west and fight wildfires in New Mexico. We cannot thank Jody and all of the other first responders for their diligent work protecting the state of Alabama and the entire country.

When asked what advice she would give other young people thinking about pursuing a job in forestry Jody said “let your work ethic prove that you have a want-to attitude. You never know who is watching you work and what opportunities you will find that way”.

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