‘Every Acre Is a Story’: Sam Cook on Stewardship and Mentoring

Sam at Asekia's symposium in Puerto Rico last month

Sam Cook, a member of Asekia’s Advisory Board, has had a distinguished career in forestry that spans more than four decades. Sam’s philosophy reflects the values of respect and trust that Asekia applies to our work with landowners and communities. 

He is now the Executive Director of Forest Assets and Vice President of the Natural Resources Foundation at the North Carolina State University College of Natural Resources. Better said, he is a Forester and Natural Resource Professional. He also teaches a class at NC State called Ethical Dilemmas in Natural Resource Management.

What sets Sam’s work apart is his focus on relationships. He mentors forestry students, sharing the lessons he has learned and helping to inspire confidence in those who are just beginning their careers, and spends time building relationships with the families who care for the land.

“Land is really, to me, never just land. Every acre is a story,” Sam said. “Sometimes it's about opportunity, and really, for most people, especially in my sector growing up, it's about survival. Our families, we held land because it was not just from a legal standpoint, but it was the ability to help the family stay on the land and to grow. It was our financial backbone.” 

A Career Shaped by Relationships

Sam at the Society of American Foresters (SAF) National Convention last month in Tacoma, Washington.

Growing up, Sam wasn’t aware that forestry was a career possibility. But when he was a teenager, his older sister came home from Tuskegee University and told him ‘I think I found what you love, and it would be this thing called forestry.’” 

Sam’s dad worked at a paper mill among several other shift jobs, and at that point in his life, Sam had never considered going to college. But he took the leap, first earning an associate’s degree in forestry at Tuskegee University. Later, he was among the first Black students to attend North Carolina State University’s forestry program, which he graduated from in 1984. 

Along the way, he worked for the U.S. Forest Service and was part of the research team that collected data from Mt. St. Helens after it erupted. Additionally, Larry Jervis, a friend, mentor, and colleague at NC State (retired), offered Sam an opportunity that was a “career game changer,” Sam explained. 

“He saw something in me that I did not see in myself, and he offered me the caretaker’s position,” Sam said, which involved managing the forested lands owned by the college. “That really speaks to the impact of relationships and how that can change people's lives.”

Elevating the Next Generation through Mentorship

Today, Sam sees his mentorship efforts as a way of repaying those efforts and contributing to the next generation’s career development. 

“My most important outcome is to find a student who's interested in our sector, in helping them achieve an outcome that makes them happy,” he said. “I wake up every day at my job, no matter who I'm working for, and I have loved what I've done my whole career.”  

Sam's commitment to mentorship and building relationships extends beyond the classroom. Throughout his career, he has brought people together, shared knowledge, and helped strengthen the forestry profession. That commitment was evident at this year's Society of American Foresters (SAF) conference in Tacoma, Washington. At the conference, Sam participated in a panel session focused on the newly launched Landowner Outreach Toolkit, which aims to enhance outreach to landowners in emerging communities. 

At Asekia's symposium, held at the El Yunque National Forest in Puerto Rico this year!

During the conference, he also moderated a panel discussion titled “Voices of the Forest: Past, Present, and Future Stewardship.”

“What I’m hearing out of all of you is that stewardship has always been as much about people as about trees,” Sam said during the panel. One of his former students at NC State, Asija Rice, participated as a panelist. 

Asija described how forestry technology is constantly evolving, and foresters need to continue learning and keep pace with the new developments. She also underscored the importance of connecting with landowners and accompanying them as they navigate new technologies, too. 

“One of the things that I believe as a forester that really will help us advance moving forward within our profession is those soft skills,” Asija said. “Being able to go out into the community, being able to have communication with the person that you're serving, and also bringing this new technology, saying, ‘Hey, don't be afraid. I'm learning it too. We can learn it together.’”

Sam also emphasized the importance of building relationships and how it can shape stewardship.

“When I got started, it was about working in the woods, a cup of coffee, a biscuit, and getting to speak to people, my elders,” Sam said later. “Do not think about yourself being a forester, but think about yourself being a natural resource professional that's put in charge to steward the land for the next generation.”

In his closing words, Sam nodded to the future of forest stewardship. 

“Asija reminded us that the next generation is already here — in the field and this room,” he said. 

Sam’s message about the next generation reaffirms Asekia’s commitment to sharing knowledge and creating opportunities for young professionals to learn and grow.