Governor Tim Pawlenty today announced the appointment of Gene Merriam and John Rajala to the Minnesota Forest Resources Council.

Merriam, of Coon Rapids, was the commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources from 2003 to 2007. He served 22 years in the Senate-representing the Coon Rapids area- and was the chair of the Senate Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee and Senate Finance Committee. Merriam is the former vice president and chief financial officer for ECM Publishers, Inc., and now serves on ECM’s board of directors. Merriam is a current board member of the Minnesota Chapter of the National Audubon Society, whose mission is environmental advocacy and public education. Merriam is appointed to a for year term as a representative of a conservation organization that expires January 3, 2011. Merriam replaces Jan Green on the council.

Rajala, of Deer River, is the vice president of Rajala Lumber Company. As a fourth-generation member of the Rajala Companies, Rajala entered the sawmilling industry early in his career. After graduating from Dartmouth College with degrees in engineering sciences and economics and a period as a productivity consultant for Arthur Andersen in the late 1980s, Rajala returned to the north woods in 1990. Rajala Companies is vertically integrated, overseeing its products from the forest floor through early secondary manufacturing. Rajala Companies manages 25,000 acres of timberland and saws up to 30 million board feet of lumber annually, nearly all of it locally grown. Among his industry involvement, Rajala is President of the Minnesota Wood Campaign, and a board member of Itasca County’s Jobs 20/20 initiative. He has served as a member of the Composite Materials Standards Committee of the National Wood Window and Door Association, the Natural Resources Research Institute’s Forest Products Advisory Committee, and the Itasca Development Corporation. Rajala is appointed to fulfill a four year term that expires January 7, 2008 and replaces John Stauber on the council.

The Minnesota Forest Resources Council develops recommendations to the Governor and to federal, state, county and local governments with respect to forest resource policies and practices that result in the sustainable management, use, and protection of the state’s forest resources. The council consists of 17 members appointed by the Governor.