Alabama A&M alum named new Ranger by U.S. Forest Service

Alabama A&M University has another reason to be proud of its alumni, as one of the school’s graduates was recently named the new Long Cane District Ranger on the Sumter National Forest in Edgefield, SC.

Roderick Alfred, who received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from AAMU, was named to the new position at the beginning of May by the USDA Forest Service.

Roderick Alfred’s new position and responsibilities

An Alabama native who has lived in South Carolina for the last decade, Alfred will oversee the 120,000-acre Long Cane Ranger District in the Piedmont counties of Abbeville, Edgefield, Greenwood, McCormick and Saluda. The district office is in Edgefield, S.C.

“Roderick is no stranger to South Carolina and its forests. He has spent the past two decades as a professional forester and program manager on forests across the southern, mid-western, and western United States. We look forward to having him continue his leadership on the Sumter National Forest.”

JaSal Morris, Forest Supervisor

Alfred most recently served as the Supervisory Natural Resource Specialist with the Forest Service on the nearby Savannah River Site, where he managed both timber and wildlife programs on more than 170,000 acres of forest land.

The Long Cane has an active wildlife and fisheries program. Alfred, along with a small, dedicated district team that he supervises, will continue to manage a robust timber sale and prescribed burn program.

One of Alfred’s first goals is to help meet the growing demands for outdoor recreation for families and residents who live and work in the larger communities and are within an easy drive of the Long Cane Ranger District.

“We have so many recreational opportunities on the Long Cane with close proximity to both Augusta and Columbia. Our FATS biking trail system is world class, and our rifle ranges are high quality. We have hiking, fishing, hunting, camping and picnic areas, but in many ways, we are considered a hidden gem!”

Roderick Alfred

Alfred’s background shows he’s the right man for the job

Alfred earned a bachelor’s degree in Forestry and a master’s degree in Plant Science, both from Alabama A&M University. He began his professional career as a forester with the state of Alabama in 2000, then served for more than five years on the tree seedling production team with Weyerhaeuser Company at its nursery in Aiken, South Carolina. Weyerhaeuser is one of the world’s largest private owners of timberlands, and currently owns or manages more than 900,000 acres of timberlands in the Carolinas.

Alfred joined the Forest Service in 2006 as a Forester Trainee and later a Pre-Sale Forester on the Mark Twain National Forest in southern Missouri.  He then worked as a Timber Management Assistant for four years on the Kisatchie National Forest in Louisiana. He has served in several acting Line Officer roles on the following national forests:

• Medicine Bow–Routt National Forests & Thunder Basin National Grassland in Colorado
• Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest in Nevada
• Inyo National Forest in California
• Carson National Forest in New Mexico
• Talladega National Forest in Alabama
• National Forests in Mississippi
• Monongahela National Forest in West Virginia

He was a Deputy District Ranger for more than three years on the Inyo National Forest in California.  He also served in two acting Natural Resource Staff Officer roles at Savannah River in South Carolina and the Lassen National Forest in California.

Alfred lives in Aiken County with his wife, Chantae, and their two daughters, Taylor and Havillan. The couple’s son RJ is currently a junior civil engineering major at Alabama A&M.

Follow Hville Blast on Facebook and Instagram, and be sure to subscribe to our newsletter so you don’t miss announcements on what’s happening in and around Huntsville.