James Parker ’99, ’00
James Parker has created a career deeply rooted in service to both land and country. As an alumnus of the Auburn University College of Forestry, Wildlife and Environment (CFWE), Parker’s work in natural resources management has supported both environmental protection and military readiness, earning him recognition as the 2025 CFWE Outstanding Alumni Award recipient.
Reflecting on the path that led him to forestry, Parker gives credit to an unexpected moment early in his life.
“I am deeply humbled to receive the Outstanding Alumni Award from the CFWE,” said Parker. “When a 9th-grade agribusiness class first sparked my passion for forestry, I never could have imagined where this path would lead.”
Parker graduated from Auburn in 1999 with a Bachelor of Science in Forestry and went on to earn a Master of Science in Forestry in 2000. He began his career working as a contractor for the U.S. Army before being hired at Fort Benning in Georgia, where he has now worked for more than 20 years.
Today, Parker serves as chief of the Natural Resources Management Branch (NRMB), where he leads a team responsible for managing more than 180,000 acres of land. His work focuses on protecting and enhancing natural resources while supporting military training across the installation.
“The only reason my team and I are here with a job is because of the Army,” Parker said. “Everybody, including us in the NRMB, is here to support training the best soldiers in the world. We do it in a way nobody thinks about; we’re here to sustain the training landscape.”
Balancing environmental needs with training demands requires careful planning and coordination. Parker and his team use an ecosystem management approach, focusing on the entire landscape rather than individual parts. This allows them to protect natural habitats for a wide range of plant and animal species while maintaining land that is safe and effective for training.
Those who nominated Parker emphasized his long-term leadership and impact on both the land and the profession.
“Mr. Parker’s tireless work and involvement with our college aims to improve the field of forestry and natural resource management and our college. His contributions are extremely valuable,” said Daowei Zhang, the Alumni and George W. Peake Professor in the CFWE. “He is very much deserving of this award.”
A key part of Parker’s leadership is his strong emphasis on teamwork. Parker’s branch brings together people with diverse skill sets to achieve a unified goal. Whether working on forestry projects, wildlife management or fire operations, each member contributes to the same mission.
“It’s one team,” Parker said. “Whether it’s a wildlife project, a forestry project, prescribed burning or wildfires, we all work together.”
Parker’s career reflects the values promoted by the CFWE: service, integrity and leadership. From an unexpected high school class to managing thousands of acres of land, his work shows the impact forestry professionals can have on both natural resources and the communities they serve.
