Hey there. I’m Jen Gustafson, the owner of Wooden Eye Resource Management. 

In 2019 I began a journey that would change the course of my life forever. I joined 38 other community wildfire preparedness professionals to attend the Community Wildfire Mitigation Best Practices training course in Boise, Idaho.

Before attending this class, I worked as a seasonal trail crew leader and had just graduated from the University of Montana with a Bachelor of Science in Geography and a Geographic Information Systems Technology (GIST) certificate. I had worked in four different National Parks and held a variety of other jobs and internships. Exploring some of the most beautiful parts of the country and continent (especially the western U.S.) inspired me deeply. Eventually, I returned to my home state of North Carolina to reconnect with my roots. That's when I found a role that allowed me to work closely with communities and partners to create positive change for both people and the environment — and they sent me to that life-changing training in Boise to start me off on the right foot.

Over the past five years, I’ve expanded my skills and network in community fire adaptation, supporting communities across the country. Using this experience and the wealth of resources I've gathered along the way, I continue to strengthen national wildfire mitigation efforts by providing technical assistance and consultations to national, regional, and local partners, as well as community members living in the Wildland Urban Interface.

Current roles include:

• Community Navigator, Watershed Research and Training Center

• CFLRP Program Manager, Pisgah Restoration Initiative

• Administratively Determined (AD) Technical Specialist (THSP), US Forest Service

• Team Lead, Community Mitigation Assistance Team, US Forest Service/COCO program

When I’m not working, you’ll likely find me deep in the woods or tending the land my husband and I own in western North Carolina with our dogs, cat, chickens, sheep, and bees. I love getting my hands in the soil of our gardens, coming up with creative farm improvements, and occasionally making arts and crafts with leather, paints, and anything else I can get my hands on. You can check out some of my creations at @jenhaasart on Instagram.