Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Workforce Development topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
University forestry program seeks workforce development manager after $2 million equipment purchase
Summary
Forest Utilization Research (FUR) requested funding for a workforce development manager to train student employees on newly acquired advanced forestry equipment; program leaders told the committee the equipment was purchased with logging proceeds and industry support.
Kevin Campbell, Legislative Services Office budget analyst, presented the Forest Utilization Research (FUR) program budget and noted FUR is part of the University of Idaho’s College of Natural Resources. FUR’s director, Dennis Becker, told the committee the program manages the University of Idaho experimental forest, tree nurseries and the Wildland Fire Center and that it seeks partial funding for a workforce development manager in FY2026.
Becker said FUR has 13.28 authorized FTEs with a half‑FTE vacancy at the time of the sampling date and that roughly 90 percent of FUR expenditures are wages and benefits. He told members FUR recently purchased about $2 million in advanced logging technology using proceeds from logging and private industry support and that the proposed workforce development manager would supervise and train students on that equipment and in the experimental forest.
"This workforce development manager will be really important for helping us to train those students," Becker said, adding the program’s emphasis is workforce preparation for the forest products industry. Campbell said FUR asked for partial funding to support that position in FY2026 and summarized FUR’s mission and property holdings.
No formal votes were taken. Committee members had no extended questions during the presentation; Becker thanked the committee and noted the program’s focus on student workforce training.
