The University of Missouri College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources has another voice in our nation’s capital helping to make sure our country’s natural resources are properly managed.

Shibu Jose, director of The Center for Agroforestry and H.E. Garrett Endowed Chair Professor at the School of Natural Resources, was recently appointed to the Forestry Research Advisory Council (FRAC) by U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack. He joins the council of 11 distinguished members who present recommendations and advice to the Secretary on issues concerning natural resources.

Shibu Jose

FRAC also works closely with the USDA Forest Service and National Institute for Food and Agriculture to provide recommendations.

Vilsack reappointed two members, and appointed nine new ones to serve three year terms. Reappointed members are Cassandra Moseley, University of Oregon and Charles Vandersteen, Louisiana Forestry Association. Jose joins new appointees Nicole Cavender, The Morton Arboretum; Kevin Cheung, Western Wood Products Association; Myron Floyd, North Carolina State University; Henry Kodama, State Forester of South Carolina; Adrian Leighton, Intertribal Timber Council; Eric Norland, USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture; Shannon Ramsey, Trees Forever; and Ronald Reed, Karuk Tribe.

In the last year several topics presented by FRAC included research that works on integrating social sciences with biophysical sciences to strengthen capability to study ecological system changes such as wildfire and climate change.

“It is a tremendous honor and great privilege to be appointed to this important council,” said Jose. “I am excited about the opportunity to serve Secretary Vilsack and the entire forestry community in this capacity.”

FRAC, a statutory committee, was established in accordance with the Agriculture and Food Act of 1981 to provide advice to the Secretary on accomplishing the purposes of the McIntire-Stennis Act of 1962 that makes funding available to the state agricultural experimental stations. It also applies to forestry schools and programs at the land grant colleges of agriculture for forestry research, which includes the MU College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources.