Alison Hitchcock, state forester

Berry-laden vines hug the driveway. Flowers of every color border the front path. In the sink, a bowl of freshly picked lettuce awaits rinsing. These are sure signs that a gardener lives here.

In her youth, Alison Hitchcock started out as a small-scale gardener. As her garden grew, so did her passion.

"I really like trees," Hitchcock said with a grin.

She must. Now, at the age of 42, she is responsible for 50,000 acres of mostly forested land.

Hitchcock manages this huge amount of state land as the Hamilton unit forester for the Washington State Department of Natural Resources. Her duties with the DNR are varied and sometimes invoke controversy.

Most recently, a block of land in Hitchcock's district known as Blanchard Hill has been in the news. This area, according to Hitchcock garners a great deal of attention because of the development going on there.

The DNR, which owns land on Blanchard Hill, plans to reopen a rock pit there. Many neighbors are concerned about the mining operation and have voiced their opposition.

"I don't like conflict, I don't think anybody does," said Hitchcock.

However, she also said that the land is an excellent source of hard rock that the DNR needs to use on other state logging roads.

"A source of good hard rock is hard to find," said Hitchcock. "The harder the rock, the less sediment it produces."

She also said that the decisions being made about mining the Blanchard Hill area are beyond her level.

In the same block of land, Hitchcock has also worked with a volunteer organization that seems quite pleased with her efforts.

Pacific Northwest Trails Association has 60 miles of trails winding through Skagit County. Much of this network is on DNR land managed by Hitchcock.

Joan Melcher, spokesperson for the association, said she has worked with Hitchcock for about three years. In that time, Melcher said Hitchcock has been, "very professional, helpful and personable." She also said that Hitchcock makes the association tow the line.

"If there's a snag (dead tree) along the trail, [Hitchcock] won't let us cut it down because it's good wildlife habitat," Melcher said.

According to Melcher, the association doesn't mind playing by the rules. She said that the DNR doesn't impose rules that are any stricter than those of private landowners.

In fact, Melcher feels that Hitchcock has been extremely helpful in pointing out potential trail sites and suggesting drainage improvements.

The association's relationship with Hitchcock and the DNR has been very positive, Melcher said. "We get to use the land for free," she said.

In her opinion, it is only fair that the trails should not interfere with normal logging routines. Harvesting timber is, however, another controversial aspect of Hitchcock's job.

But Hitchcock, a DNR employee since 1986, says she has never participated in logging. She laughed as she said, "I don't even like running a chain saw."

Yet, each year she is responsible for producing 20 million to 30 million board feet of wood. That translates to roughly 5,000 loaded log trucks.

According to Hitchcock, residents upriver don't see this as a controversial issue.

"Those residents have grown up with logging," said Hitchcock. "They live off the land. Besides," she said, "we all use wood products. The wood has to come from somewhere."

Hitchcock believes issues such as logging and mining would be less controversial if the public was better educated. She said that many people confuse the DNR with the U.S. Forest Service.

"They don't understand what the DNR is about," she said. The DNR is making efforts to increase public awareness of the DNR's role, she added.

The DNR's objective, according to Hitchcock, is to maximize revenue. However, she also said that the agency does this with long range planning in mind.

"Trees," she said, "are our best renewable resource."

Hitchcock's commitment to forestry is something Walt Parker, Timber Sales Coordinator for the DNR, admires. Parker, a former forester who has been with the department for 40 years, appreciates Hitchcock's work ethic.

Generally, women are not employed in field positions in forestry. According to Parker only about 25 percent of foresters in the DNR's northwest region are female and "there aren't many women in the private sector."

Hitchcock confirmed this observation, saying that many women in forestry work in administrative capacities, often focusing on the social aspects of forestry.

In fact, the limited number of positions available to women in the industry helped to determine Hitchcock's career path. She said that there were not many opportunities available to her after graduation.

Government work proved to be more open to women in forestry. Therefore, Hitchcock began her career with the U.S. Forest Service before joining the DNR.

According to Hitchcock, she is still an oddity in the business. She said that loggers are often surprised to see her at job sites in a professional capacity. Does this mean that men don't take her seriously on the job?

Hitchcock said no. She feels her biggest obstacle has been her height. According to the 5-foot-2 forester, she has to "stand on an uphill stump just to look some guys in the eye."

Despite the physical disadvantage, Hitchcock's competence and no-nonsense attitude garner respect.

In Parker's opinion, the female foresters do "more complete field work" and stand "head and shoulders above" their male counterparts, regardless of physical stature. "The top-notch foresters all seem to be women," he said.

Parker said he thinks women in forestry may work harder to prove themselves since the industry is dominated by males. Women foresters are not as reluctant as men to try new methods, he added.

Parker places Hitchcock in the category of hardworking, innovative foresters. He said Hitchcock has even done long-range harvest planning to the year 2020.

This was not something required by the department Ð it was merely a special project Hitchcock undertook.

Hitchcock's devotion to forestry extends from professional to personal. Along with Mark, her husband of 15 years, Hitchcock raises a small plantation of trees on a 10-acre parcel near Clear Lake.

Mark, also a forester, works as a private consultant. "We never run out of things to talk about," said Hitchcock.

The cabin the two share is nestled in a clearing at the edge of the trees. The interior reflects the Hitchcocks' love of the forest.

Deep green carpeting complements the warm honey toned wood walls. A natural stone fireplace, reminiscent of a riverbed, flanks one wall. Picture windows without curtains allow uninterrupted views of the surrounding wooded areas.

When Hitchcock isn't busy working in her garden or reading a mystery novel, she enjoys traveling to foreign countries. She likes seeing how other people live and learning about other cultures. Her favorite destinations are the Central American countries of Belize and Costa Rica.

A native of New York state, Hitchcock knew by the age of 14 that she wanted to work with trees. The only thing she misses about the Northeast is the diversity of the forest.

"There are more varieties of trees back east," she said, "but it's really humid." Twenty years ago Hitchcock graduated from the School of Environmental Science and Forestry in Syracuse, N.Y.

She moved to Washington in 1978 and discovered slugs. In her opinion, the slimy pests are the only major drawback to life in the Pacific Northwest. Not only do they interfere with her gardening, "they're hideous," said Hitchcock.

Despite the slugs, Hitchcock decided to stay. In 1995, she earned her master's degree at the University of Washington, something she had always planned to do.

Even with all the controversy that often surrounds her job, Hitchcock is extremely happy working in the profession she chose. If she had the opportunity to do it all over again, she said she would still be a forester.

(Written July 1998, Western Washington University)