About Our Office ...

The Ponderosa Area office is located in Deary, Idaho.  The Area duties include natural resource management of state owned lands, as well as regulatory responsibilities, including private land forest practices and fire suppression. The Ponderosa Area encompasses approximately 71,000 acres of endowment lands, of which 66,000 acres are timbered.  The Fire Protection District encompasses approximately 732,000 acres.  The Area has eleven permanent employees, five eight-month employees, four summer employees, and two seasonal scalers.

About Our Staff ...

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Area Manager - Sam Charles started with the Department (IDL) in 1980 on the St. Joe Supervisory Area. During his career with IDL he has filled such positions as Woodland Forester, Senior Forester, Forest Area Manager and, most recently, Lands Resource Supervisor. 

Robert Barkley is the Private Forestry Specialist.  In 1992 he was hired as a timber Resource Specialist for the Department‘s Ponderosa Area.  He is now responsible for Forest Practices issues, Stewardship Forestry Programs, and private forestry assistance.

Eric Berard, Lands Resource Specialist - Forest

Stephanie Hall, Administrative Assistant

Jeff Handel is the other Resource Supervisor/Timber.  Jeff oversees a 10 million board foot annual harvest.   In 1999 he started with the Mica Supervisory Area before coming to the Ponderosa as an assistant fire warden in 2001.  Previously, Jeff worked 10 years for the Montana Timber Management Program. 

Barry Lerandeau-Hillman started working seasonally with the Department of Lands on the St. Joe Area in 1989 and became a Resource Specialist, Sr. in 2005 for the North Zone of the Ponderosa Area.  Besides his experience with the IDL, he has also worked as a private contractor and as an intern for the Oregon Department of Forestry.  Previously, he worked with our office and the Idaho Parks and Recreation Department as the McCroskey Park timber Resource Specialist.

Wayne Lynn came to the Ponderosa from the St. Joe Area as a Resource Specialist, Sr. in 2006.  Wayne manages the timber in the South Zone for the Ponderosa Area and is responsible for tracking grant projects.

Jerry Northrup is one of our Resource Supervisor/Timber for the Ponderosa Area and supervises the management of approximately 15 million board feet annual harvest.  He has been at the Ponderosa Office and IDL since 1995.

Casey Strong - Lands Resource Specialist, Fire

Jason Svancara, our Assistant Fire Warden, started work for the Department in August, 2005.  His duties include fire suppression, fire prevention, prescribed fire, hazard management and assisting with timber management.

Margo Welch was employed by the Department in 2001 and is the Senior Resource Specialist for the Mica Unit.  She transferred from the Craigmont Office in 2002 where she worked as the as the co-op forester for IDL and Idaho Department of Fish and Game. She supervises the Resource Technicians and Foreman/Timber.

Jake Willard, Resource Specialist, Sr. as of 2004 began working for the Ponderosa Office in 1998.  He is an expert on GIS, teaches other specialists our new FS Cruise program and manages State land in the Ponderosa South Zone.