The U.S. recognizes March as Women’s History Month. The movement to celebrate women’s achievements began in 1981, and thanks to annual presidential proclamations, March has been Women’s History Month since 1994. This is a time set aside to lift up the many contributions of women in various fields throughout American history.
Forestry remains a male-dominated field. According to data from the 2020 US Census, women make up just 15.3% of forest and conservation workers. But the CSFS employs talented, knowledgeable and passionate women across Colorado. They work hard to protect the trees and forests across the state.
Ashley Baer, Forester
Growing up in a small, rural town in Southern Colorado, Ashley’s love for the trees and forests of Colorado started at a young age, but she took a circuitous route to forestry. Ashley first pursued a career in wildlife thanks to a strong admiration for the Crocodile Hunter, Steve Irwin. She earned her degree in Environmental Biology and Ecology at Western State Colorado University, and after a short stint as a forestry technician with the US Forest Service, Ashley jumped at an opportunity to be a wildlife tech. Two years later, Ashley returned to forestry as a forester in the Gunnison Field Office.
“In this position, I can take my passion for wildlife as well as my love for agriculture and combine those with being in the trees daily and making a difference,” Ashley says. “Getting to work with multiple agencies as well as private land owners has been a great adventure so far, and I love that I can learn something new every day.”
Kristy Millsapps, Executive Assistant
Kristy started at the Colorado State Forest Service in 2023, and she keeps everything moving smoothly at the State Office in Fort Collins, Colo. She’s held many positions over the course of her career, and she’s gained unique knowledge and experiences from each position. Kristy brings excellent customer service skills, communication, integrity, pride and an incomparable knack for multi-tasking to her position at the CSFS. An animal lover (she has horses, chickens, goats, two parakeets, a bunny and a dog!), Kristy also cares deeply about her work and the people she works with.
Kristy offers some advice to young women just starting out in their careers: “Follow your heart and passion. Life is too short to settle on something that you don’t enjoy, but you don’t know until you try.”
Tori Hunter, Forest Monitoring Measurement Specialist
Tori grew up in New Jersey, and after high school she made her way to Colorado State University, earning degrees in Natural Resource Management and Forestry, with a concentration in Forest Fire Science and minor in Spatial Information Management. After working at Colorado Forest Restoration Institute, Tori made her way over to the CSFS about nine months ago. In this position she monitors a wide variety of forest types, honing her data management and fieldwork planning skills.
“My high school self would have never imagined I would end up here, but it turned out to be the perfect next step,” Tori says. “It has been an amazing journey so far, and I’m excited to see what the future holds as the Forest Monitoring Program develops.”
Janae Coston-Malpas, Wildfire Resilience Coordinator
Janae comes from a lineage of women who have pursued higher education and live outside modern conventional ideals, and she strives to carry that torch. After earning her master’s degree, Janae has been heavily involved in her own community’s wildfire efforts. She attended one of Coaltions and Collaborations Community Wildfire Mitigation Best Practices, which led to her applying for the Wildfire Resilience Coordinator position with the CSFS, and the rest you could say is history.
If you’re starting a new career, Janae offers this suggestion: “Don’t make the assumption that your superiors have all the right answers. Recognize and appreciate the ones that value your contributions, no matter how green you might be.”
Elle DeWaard, Forestry Technician
Starting in 2023, Elle works in the Fort Collins Field Office as a Forestry Technician. Elle has developed a meaningful connection to nature, and she thinks everyone belongs in professional roles that focus on the stewardship of nature and its resources. We think so, too, Elle!
Elle offers some clear advice to women considering a career in natural resources: “Take up space, foster a work environment that you want to be a part of, learn from women in leadership positions and technical roles in natural resources, and remember that things are changing! More women are exploring environmental careers and joining the workforce of foresters and natural resource professionals.”
Carrie Tomlinson, Urban Forestry Manager
Carrie pinpoints 1992, after graduating from high school in Waukomis, Okla., as the time her passion for forestry began. She earned her degree from Oklahoma State University and has put that education to good use, serving in numerous roles…executive director of a non-profit, forester, arborist, consulting forester and utility forester. Now she considers her role as Urban Forestry Manager for the CSFS as her proudest professional accomplishment. This achievement was 32 years in the making, but she stuck to her goals, and we’re so glad she did!
Here’s what Carrie says to women considering forestry as a career: “Go for it! Forestry is a field that’s looking for diversity of thought and experience and is ready to grow (pun intended). Women have a great deal to offer natural resources in terms of their perspectives and talents. Natural resources/forestry are great areas to work in. You go home feeling like you have done something good for your planet and your future.”