UAM Forestry Faculty Earn Top Regional Honors for Leadership, Excellence

CAREER AWARD – Matthew Pelkki, left, receives the Ted Chancey Career Award from Jaret Rushing, chair for the Arkansas Division of the Ouachita Society of American Foresters at the 2025 Western Gulf States Society of American Foresters meeting. Pelkki, a professor and economist with the Arkansas Forest Resources Center, is also the George Clippert Endowed Chair and director of the Arkansas Center for Forest Business, a part of UAM’s College of Forestry, Agriculture and Natural Resources. (U of A System Division of Agriculture photo by Traci Rushing)

MEDIA CONTACT

Traci Rushing

U of A System Division of Agriculture
UAM College of Forestry, Agriculture and Natural Resources
870-460-1852  |  trushing@uada.edu

MONTICELLO, Ark. — Two forestry professors with the University of Arkansas at Monticello were recently recognized by their peers for their outstanding contributions to the profession at the 2025 Western Gulf States Society of American Foresters meeting.

Matthew Pelkki, a professor and economist with the Arkansas Forest Resources Center, received the Ted Chancey Career Award for his distinguished years of service and impact on the forestry industry.

Sagar Godar Chhetri, an assistant professor of forest economics with the College of Forestry, Agriculture and Natural Resources at UAM, received the Dr. Tim Ku Young Forester Award as a rising leader in the field.

As a partnership between the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture and UAM, the Arkansas Forest Resources Center conducts research and extension activities through the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station and the Cooperative Extension Service, the Division of Agriculture’s research and outreach arms.

Pelkki is also the George Clippert Endowed Chair and director of the Arkansas Center for Forest Business, a part of UAM’s College of Forestry, Agriculture and Natural Resources.

Both awardees were nominated by a collection of their peers within the forestry community and selected by the Arkansas Division of the Ouachita Society of American Foresters. Their accomplishments underscore UAM’s reputation for excellence in forestry education and research.

“It’s great to see Drs. Pelkki and Chhetri be recognized by the Arkansas forest community like this,” said Michael Blazier, dean of the College of Forestry, Agriculture and Natural Resources and director of the Arkansas Forest Resources Center. “It highlights that the Arkansas Center for Forest Business has service-minded, valued experts at all stages of an academic career.”

FORESTER AWARD – Sagar Chhetri, left, is presented the Dr. Tim Ku Young Forester Award by Jaret Rushing, chair for the Arkansas Division of the Ouachita Society of American Foresters the 2025 Western Gulf States Society of American Foresters meeting. Chhetri is an assistant professor of forest economics with the College of Forestry, Agriculture and Natural Resources at UAM. (U of A System Division of Agriculture photo by Traci Rushing)

Ted Chancey Career Award

Pelkki has been a member of the UAM College of Forestry, Agriculture and Natural Resources faculty since 2001. Throughout his career, he has demonstrated a strong commitment to advancing the forestry profession through education, research and service. His teaching and research focus on forest-based economic development, forest management and forest products and markets. During his tenure, Pelkki established the Arkansas Center for Forest Business and actively serves as its director.

The Ted Chancey Career Award honors a distinguished career of service characterized by outstanding contributions, diverse accomplishments and leadership in advancing the forestry profession at the local, regional and national levels.

“Dr. Pelkki’s reputations speaks for itself,” said Shaun Tanger, associate director of the Arkansas Center for Forest Business. “The award is obviously well-deserved given the multitude of contributions to Arkansas forestry over the last 20-plus years.” 

Dr. Tim Ku Young Forester Award

Chhetri joined the UAM forestry faculty in 2022, specializing in forest economics, policy, finance and taxation. His research integrates social, economic and ecological perspectives to promote sustainable forest management. Chhetri also has over five years of professional experience in international forestry projects related to forest carbon inventories, forest certification, econometric and geospatial modeling, REDD+ programs — Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation, plus conservation, sustainable management of forests, and the enhancement of forest carbon stocks — and ecosystem service valuation.

The Dr. Tim Ku Young Forester Award honors emerging forestry professionals who, within the first decade of service, have shown exemplary leadership and meaningful contributions to the advancement of the forestry profession.

“Dr. Chhetri has been a great addition to the business center and the school,” Tanger said. “The thing that stands out to me has been his eagerness to volunteer when it comes to service assignments. He always answers the call with a positive attitude.”

About the College of Forestry, Agriculture and Natural Resources and the Arkansas Forest Resources Center

The College of Forestry, Agriculture and Natural Resources, and the Arkansas Forest Resources Center, a University of Arkansas System Center of Excellence, brings together interdisciplinary expertise through a partnership between the University of Arkansas at Monticello and the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture. The College and Center are headquartered at the University of Arkansas at Monticello campus, but their programs range statewide with the mission of developing and delivering teaching, research, and extension programs that enhance and ensure the sustainability and productivity of forest-based natural resources and agricultural systems. Academic programs are delivered by the College of Forestry, Agriculture, and Natural Resources through the University of Arkansas at Monticello. Through the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture, research is administered by the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station, and extension and outreach activities are coordinated by the Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service.

Pursuant to 7 CFR § 15.3, the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture offers all its Extension and Research programs and services (including employment) without regard to race, color, sex, national origin, religion, age, disability, marital or veteran status, genetic information, sexual preference, pregnancy or any other legally protected status, and is an equal opportunity institution.

​To learn more about the Division of Agriculture research, visit the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station website. Follow us on 𝕏 at @ArkAgResearch, subscribe to the Food, Farms and Forests podcast and sign up for our monthly newsletter, the Arkansas Agricultural Research Report. To learn more about the Division of Agriculture, visit uada.edu. Follow us on 𝕏 at @AgInArk. To learn about extension programs in Arkansas, contact your local Cooperative Extension Service agent or visit uaex.uada.edu.

About the Division of Agriculture

The University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture’s mission is to strengthen agriculture, communities, and families by connecting trusted research to the adoption of best practices. Through the Agricultural Experiment Station and the Cooperative Extension Service, the Division of Agriculture conducts research and extension work within the nation’s historic land grant education system.

The Division of Agriculture is one of 20 entities within the University of Arkansas System. It has offices in all 75 counties in Arkansas and faculty on three campuses.

Pursuant to 7 CFR § 15.3, the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture offers all its Extension and Research programs and services (including employment) without regard to race, color, sex, national origin, religion, age, disability, marital or veteran status, genetic information, sexual preference, pregnancy or any other legally protected status, and is an equal opportunity institution.