Contact: Sammy McDavid
STARKVILLE, Miss.--Ian A. Munn of Mississippi State is a new fellow of the Society of American Foresters.
A professor in the university's Forest and Wildlife Research Center, he is being honored by the international organization for contributions to the society and forestry profession.
"Dr. Munn is considered an expert on forest resource economics and management," said Jim Shepard, MSU forestry department head. "He routinely is called upon to provide forestry-related expertise to the state Tax Commission, help lead training seminars for county tax assessors and field an array of questions from the general public concerning ad valorem taxes for forestland."
Munn annually works with tax commission officials to survey more than 2,000 private and industrial landowners to determine the value-in-use of Mississippi's extensive forestland.
The Society of American Foresters is the national scientific and educational organization representing the forestry profession in the United States. Founded in 1900, it is the largest professional society for foresters in the world.
Munn, a Kingston, Ontario, Canada, native, holds a bachelor's degree from University of North Carolina, masters' from Syracuse and Louisiana Tech universities, and a doctorate from North Carolina State University.
"Ian is an exceptional professor and researcher," Shepard said. "A course he teaches on professional practices is considered the capstone class of our forestry curriculum. Over the years, he greatly has transformed the course, enabling students to work directly with landowners to develop management plans for their properties."
Munn is a member of the Mississippi Forestry, American Agricultural Economics, American Economics, and Southern Economics associations, as well as the Southern Forest Economics Workers organization and Xi Sigma Pi and Gamma Sigma Delta honor societies.
For more information about Mississippi State University, see http://www.msstate.edu/.