A family of Auburn University College of Forestry, Wildlife and Environment (CFWE) alumni has seen the fruits of an Auburn education. The Ziebach family of Alabama has witnessed generations of forestry graduates receive their diplomas, adding branches to the Ziebach’s educational heritage within the CFWE. Their achievements highlight the CFWE’s 75-year history of producing forestry graduates who have fueled the growth of the state and region’s forest industry.

The Ziebachs’ Auburn forestry origins begin in 1969, when Elmo D. Ziebach graduated with a bachelor’s degree in forest management. At this time, the CFWE was known as the Department of Forestry within the Auburn School of Agriculture. Upon receiving his diploma, he started his career in forestry as a land manager with International Paper Company in southern Mississippi, also working at various short-wood yards. Years later, Elmo was hired as a procurement manager for Bendix Forest Products in Vredenburgh, Alabama.

Approximately 10 years after graduating from Auburn, Elmo and his colleague, Mike Webb, founded their own business, the Ziebach and Webb Timber Company. To this day, their company harvests and delivers more than 1.7 million tons of raw material to forest product mills from central Alabama to northwest Florida.

“I am the first in my family to be in the forest business,” Elmo said. “I enjoy the freedom of being in the forest. It is always something interesting and different from one tract to the next.”

About the time that Elmo and Webb were in the infancy of their company, the Department of Forestry was awarded “School” status in recognition of its growing prominence in research, outreach and undergraduate and graduate education. The Auburn School of Forestry was officially established in 1984. Elmo followed the college’s growth as an alumnus, reminiscing on his experiences at Auburn which have continued to influence his life and work.

“We had a well-rounded curriculum that prepared me for all different parts of being a field forester as well as running a business,” Elmo said. “Many friends I made have been life-long, and we still work and play together.”

A classmate nominated Elmo for the CFWE Outstanding Alumni Award in recognition of his more than 43 years of service to the forestry and wildlife industries. He received this award in 2021. Today, Elmo serves as a senior partner of Ziebach and Webb Timber Company, overseeing more than 20 timber crews. He graciously gave philanthropically to the CFWE and was a key figure in raising funds to build today’s Forestry, Wildlife and Environment Building.

Following in the family footsteps

Since an early age, Douglas Ziebach, son of Elmo, always wanted to be a forester. While growing up with his father, he learned about the world of forestry and the hard work and dedication required to be successful in the industry.

“All I wanted to do was be a forester and follow in my father’s footsteps,” said Douglas. “This led me to Auburn to earn my forestry degree. This is all I have ever wanted to do.”

After graduating high school, Douglas enrolled at the Auburn School of Forestry, majoring in forest resources. He had the privilege of learning from several of the same professors that instructed his father. Douglas says that professors like Earl DeBrunner and CFWE Dean Emeritus Dick Brinker were imperative to his academic and professional success.

“That generational crossover is very special to me,” said Douglas. “From the first time I met Dr. Brinker at Summer Practicum in forest surveying to every interaction since, I would say he is the epitome of professional. He instilled the standard professionally presenting yourself as a forester and that was very impactful.”

Also at Summer Practicum, Douglas met many of his closest friends and colleagues. After completing his degree in 1995, he has interacted with many of these life-long friends while serving as chief operating officer at Ziebach & Webb Timber Company.

“I have been blessed to interact in business with many of my classmates that I met in Summer Practicum at the Solon Dixon Forestry Education Center,” said Douglas.

At the family business, Douglas manages day-to-day operations including 17 foresters and timber buyers who procure timber for independent contract loggers throughout Alabama and northwest Florida as well as their two white pole mill operations in Dadeville and Evergreen. In other roles, he also serves on the board of directors for the United Bank Corporation and the Alabama Forestry Association.

Douglas adds that his education at the CFWE prepared him for his career by providing a broad basis of the many aspects of forestry and forest products and as a source of long-standing relationships with his peers. He shares some advice with all current and prospective CFWE students in that regard.

“Don’t take your time at Auburn lightly,” Douglas said. “Not everyone has the opportunity to earn a degree from Auburn. Stay close to your classmates and your professors. Your paths will very likely cross in the future.”

Continuing the educational lineage

Chase Luker, nephew of Douglas Ziebach, works with the family as an agent timber buyer in the business.

“We all work together at Ziebach and Webb Timber Co.,” said Luker. “I enjoy working with family and the freedom and flexibility of completing tasks.”

Luker graduated in 2014 from what was then known as the Auburn School of Forestry and Wildlife Sciences, the moniker given to the School of Forestry after its merge with the Department of Wildlife Sciences in 1999.

He chose to pursue a degree in forestry after acquiring a love for the outdoors and hunting. Luker was able to expand his knowledge while progressing through his forestry degree.

“Although I had plenty of practical experience working during school breaks, I believe that Summer Practicum at the Dixon Center does a great job preparing students for practical applications in the forestry field,” Luker said.

According to Luker, Molly, Luke’s sister and an Auburn alumna, is a controller helping with finances and statewide business sites. He adds that he cherished his time at Auburn. He and his wife, whom he met while at Auburn, return there often. The Plains is truly the foundation on which the Ziebach family built their careers.

“Graduating from the CFWE means a lot to our family,” Luker said. “Our fourth-generation Auburn graduate, Chapman Luker, my son, is currently in third grade, but he knows his way around Auburn already.”

Multigenerational forestry starts at Auburn

Elmo Ziebach has seen four more grandchildren graduate from Auburn with the most recent being Chaney Jones, his granddaughter, in the College of Business in spring 2024. The university, especially the CFWE, provides the ultimate environment for multiple generations to earn a quality education — injecting prospective employees into the workforce and inspiring others to follow their academic endeavors.

“I am proud that my family thought enough about my forestry career that they wanted to follow after me,” Elmo said. “The work can be hard. It can be hot. It is a very rewarding career, but to be successful, you must work hard, smart and be honest while having a good ethical character.”

Douglas echoes his father’s appreciation for Auburn and the CFWE, recognizing that his family is one of many who found new success and growth in tandem with the college itself.

“I am very proud of my father,” said Douglas. “If it wasn’t for an Auburn education, we would not be where we are today.”