Saint Paul – Governor Tim Pawlenty today announced the appointment of Jim Sanders to the Minnesota Forest Resources Council.

Sanders, of Duluth, is the forest supervisor for the Superior National Forest, a position he has held since 1996. The Superior National Forest, headquartered in Duluth, is comprised of three million acres, including one million acres within the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. He has 38 years of experience with the U.S.D.A. Forest Service in a variety of capacities and locations in the country. Sanders earned his bachelor of science degree in forestry from the University of Montana in Missoula, and completed post-graduate work in forest ecology and silviculture from the University of Montana, University of Idaho, and Washington State University. Sanders replaces Robert Harper on the Forest Resources Council as a representative of the U.S. Forest Service with land management responsibility in Minnesota, and is appointed to complete a four-year term that expires on January 2, 2012.

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, 16 of which are appointed by the Governor.