Beaufort County landowners now have access to a great resource for forestry management with a new area forestry agent available through the North Carolina State Cooperative Extension.

Colby Lambert, area specialized forestry agent for the N.C. Cooperative Extension, took on the role in spring, and though he is based in Harnett County, he covers 32 counties in the Coastal Plain and Sandhills regions of the state. Lambert attended N.C. State University and earned a degree in forestry management, he said.

Lambert’s role is to work closely with Extension agents in the 32 counties to coordinate forestry programming, particularly those that don’t already have some basis of programs. Some of the programming will include coordinating workshops and landowner tours, as well as working with the state extension forestry group to train county agents.

“I will be helping (landowners) decide the best way to manage their forestland,” Lambert said. “Part of what we do with the Extension is try to connect the landowner with other agencies and private businesses that can help them to more effectively manage their timberland. The kind of thing we do is provide education and resources for landowners to really effectively manage their timberland.”

According to the N.C. Cooperative Extension website, in 2012 Beaufort County had 3,000 acres of public timberland and 340,743 acres of private timberland. The county’s forestry industry employed 309 people and generated $71.8 million. Beaufort County is 64-percent timberland.

With Beaufort County’s economy so heavily impacted by forestry, Lambert’s role to provide resources and information related to forestry management is invaluable to landowners and something the county did not have access to before, according to Rod Gurganus, county director for the Beaufort County Cooperative Extension.

“He has experience and training other agents don’t have,” Gurganus said. “He brings that expertise to the table, which is what we need, and we didn’t have it before. Now, with him in place, we can really concentrate on our forestry.”

Gurganus said Lambert will be focused on privately and commercially owned forestland, rather than working with area homeowners on a smaller scale. Beaufort County, a heavily agricultural community, is ranked No. 2 in the state for acres of managed forestland, according to Gurganus.

“There’s a need for that resource, and that’s what Colby’s mission will be — to bring resources and help landowners manage their timber better,” Gurganus said.

For more information, contact the Beaufort County Cooperative Extension office at 252-946-0111 or email Colby Lambert at Colby_lambert@ncsu.edu.