Terry Lasher Appointed Virginia State Forester

CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA – Terry Lasher has been appointed by Governor Abigail Spanberger as the ninth State Forester of the Virginia Department of Forestry (DOF). Most recently serving as executive director with the Virginia Forestry Association, Lasher rejoins the agency where he spent more than two decades, beginning in 2001 as resource conservation and development forester in Tappahannock. From there, he went on to assume a wide range of roles with the agency including forester, assistant regional forester, senior area forester, regional forester, and finally, assistant state forester.

“I am honored to rejoin the Virginia Department of Forestry as the agency’s ninth state forester,” said Lasher. “DOF was established more than 100 years ago with the primary goal of preventing and fighting forest fires and to reforest Virginia lands. While these priorities remain today, we have expanded our efforts throughout the subsequent decades to include forest management, community forestry, forest health, research, and forest and farmland conservation. I want to thank my predecessor, Rob Farrell, for his years of service and look forward to continuing the important work of DOF alongside the agency’s capable and dedicated experts.”

As state forester, Lasher serves as the director of DOF, responsible for ensuring the agency fulfills its mission to protect and develop healthy, sustainable forest resources across the Commonwealth.

A graduate of the New York State Ranger School, Virginia Tech, and Liberty University, Lasher brings a multilayered understanding of forestry and emergency response, as well as a rigorous commitment to serving Virginia’s forest landowners, partners, and business community.