The National Association of State Foresters recently elected James L. Sledge, State Forester of Mississippi, as its new president. State Foresters voted unanimously for Sledge at NASF's 80th annual meeting in Burlington, Vt.

A graduate of Mississippi State University, Sledge has been involved in forestry for 40 years, 11 as head of the Mississippi Forestry Commission. He has worked for the Georgia Craft and Mead corporations and served on the board of directors for the Alabama Forestry Association for three terms. As state forester, Sledge was the southern representative on the NASF executive committee in 1996 and also chaired the NASF Forest Resource Management Committee for two years. Sledge was vice president of NASF prior to being elected president.