Raleigh, NC. February 1, 2007. Wib Owen has agreed to become the new director for the N.C. Division of Forest Resources and will begin his new duties Feb. 1. Wib will replace acting director Dan Smith, who will retire after working for the division in various positions since 1978. Wib has worked with the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission since 1978. For the past 11 years, he has served as the assistant chief of the commission's wildlife management division. In this position, he was responsible for field operations, including land management, technical guidance and wildlife diversity, and coordinated land acquisition for the division. Wib also worked with staff to develop operations policy and programs related to wildlife and forest management on land owned by the Wildlife Resources Commission and wildlife/forestry technical guidance to private landowners, and served as the commission's representative on the Forestry BMP Technical Advisory Committee. Prior to that position, Wib served the commission for eight years as a wildlife forester, where he had forest management responsibilities on 65,000 acres of state-owned property, and also provided technical guidance to private landowners through the Forest Stewardship Program. Wib received a master's in wildlife biology and a bachelor's degree in forestry from N.C. State University. Wib's experience in managing the state's natural resources and his knowledge of state budget and management practices will be a major asset to the division and the department. Please join me in welcoming Wib to his new position.