Virginia Cooperative Extension welcomes Yancey to Northwest District

Virginia Tech’s College of Natural Resources and the Virginia Cooperative Extension recently appointed Matt Yancey of Elkton, Va., to the position of forestry and natural resources extension agent for the Northwest District.

The Northwest District serves Alleghany, Augusta, Bath, Botetourt, Clarke, Craig, Frederick, Highland, Page, Roanoke, Rockbridge, Rockingham, Shenandoah, and Warren counties with headquarters located in Rockingham County.

Yancey’s position focuses on providing research-based information on forestry and natural resource-related issues to the public. Yancey reaches the public through seminars, workshops, field tours, publications, and one-to-one contact.

“One of the most important responsibilities of my position is reaching out to stakeholders in natural resources and helping them reach their objectives,” noted Yancey. “The flexibility I’m given by the Virginia Cooperative Extension enables me to accomplish the goals I’ve set for myself.”

Yancey graduated from Virginia Tech’s College of Natural Resources with a master’s degree in December. He earlier earned a bachelor’s degree from the college in forest products marketing and management. Yancey also has experience working with wood veneer suppliers and homebuilding companies.

The College of Natural Resources at Virginia Tech consistently ranks among the top five programs of its kind in the nation. Faculty members stress both the technical and human elements of natural resources and instill in students a sense of stewardship and land-use ethics. Areas of studies include environmental resource management, fisheries and wildlife sciences, forestry, geospatial and environmental analysis, natural resource recreation, urban forestry, wood science and forest products, geography, and international development.

The Virginia Cooperative Extension provides the research-based educational resources of the land-grant universities, Virginia Tech and Virginia State University, to individuals, families, groups, and organizations especially in the areas of agriculture and natural resources, family and consumer sciences, community viability, and 4-H youth development. A network of on-campus and local Extension educators provide leadership through 107 Extension Offices, six 4-H Educational Centers and 13 Agricultural Research and Extension Centers.