New Faces in Urban & Community Forestry

Misty Booth
Urban & Community Forestry Coordinator
Mississippi Forestry Commission

A native Mississippian, Booth brings twenty years of natural resource management to her new position.  She spent her formative years in Rankin County near the state capitol of Jackson before receiving her forestry degree from Mississippi State University (MSU).  After a tour with USDA Wildlife Services, Booth worked for MSU Forest Operations where she served as Forest Supervisor for the 30,000-acre Bulldog Forest and as Executive Vice President of the Mid-South Forestry Equipment Show.  She currently resides in Starkville with her husband, Cade.

Harold Fisher
Urban Forestry Partnership Coordinator
Arkansas Forestry Commission

Harold has an Associate Degree in Natural Resources Management from Lord Fairfax Community College in Middletown, Virginia and is a certified arborist. He has close to 30 years of practical forestry experience working with the National Park Service, the Virginia Department of Forestry, and the Arkansas Forestry Commission. Harold works closely with Arkansas Tree City USA communities to promote sound community forest management and coordinates the Arkansas champion tree program.  He lives in Greenbrier, AR, with his wife and two children, ages 12 and 6, and volunteers as an assistant Scout Master for his local Boy Scout troop.

Lara Johnson
Urban & Community Forestry Program Manager
Virginia Department of Forester

Lara holds dual degrees in Policy and Planning and Environmental Science from Virginia Tech and a graduate degree in Forestry from Virginia Tech. She is an ISA Certified Arborist and a Fire GIS Specialist. In her spare time, she manages a sheep farm with her family in Central Virginia.

Ryan Morris
Urban Forester
Tennessee Division of Forestry

Ryan is a native of Southern California who recently relocated to the Memphis area with his family.  He graduated from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo in 2010 with a BS in Forestry and Natural Resource Management with a concentration in Wildland Fire and Fuels Management.  During and after college, he was a wildland firefighter for the US Forest Service for 6 years and then became a Forester for the County of Los Angeles Fire Department for 5 years.

Katie Wiswall
Urban & Community Forestry Partnership Coordinator
Alabama Forestry Commission

Katie served twelve years as the District Coordinator for the Jefferson County Conservation District in Alabama and nearly twenty years as an industry forestland manager. She lives in the Birmingham area, has one child finishing high school, one in veterinary school, and one off raising a family of his own. Katie will be managing Alabama’s Arbor Day Foundation recognition programs and assisting with federal grants as well as the state’s Champion Tree and Famous & Historic Tree programs.