Alex Chacon

---

Alex joins the Thurston Conservation District team in March of 2024 as their first Stewardship Forester.  He brings with him experience not just in forestry but from prior work with Conservation Districts in both Washington and Southern California, and hopes to utilize that expertise in building TCD’s budding forestry program!

Alex’s passion for trees comes from his undergraduate surrounded by the redwood forests and coastal trees of the University of California Santa Cruz campus, where he earned his Bachelor’s of Science degree in 2015.  After a few years working as a consultant arborist for companies in both Southern California and Colorado, he also became an ISA Certified Arborist, and transitioned into the conservation world in 2020 with the Inland Empire Conservation District (IERCD) in Southern California.  There, he helped monitor the spread of invasive tree pests as well as conducted landscape-level forest assessments to inform wildfire mitigation projects.  Most recently, he had been providing technical assistance to small forest landowners in Mason County before landing at his current role with Thurston CD.

Coming from urbanized Southern California, Alex enjoys time spent anywhere green, whether through hiking, kayaking, gardening or more.  While there might be a little more rain here than he’s used to, Alex has been happy exploring the sights and sounds of Washington!

Educational Degrees & Certifications/Licenses

• Bachelors of Science in Plant Sciences
• ISA Certified Arborist & Utility Specialist (WE-11840AU)
• Wilderness First Aid Certification

Recognitions & Awards

• Author of Two coastal Pacific evergreens, Arbutus menziesii and Quercus agrifolia, show little water stress during California’s exceptional drought published in PLOS One in 2020