Just southeast of Baraboo, you'll find Fred's
home and business on a small farm in the Town of Greenfield. A Wisconsin resident since 1989, Fred has lived in the 42nd District for the last decade, where he has worked as a consultant and contractor. As the owner of Clark Forestry, Fred has earned a reputation as a Wisconsin leader in sustainable forestry and efforts to restore wildlife habitat and natural areas. Throughout his career, Fred's work has involved building partnerships with loggers, the forest industry, farmers, family forest owners, environmentalists, and government agencies to ensure productive and healthy forests both now and in the future.
"Leadership," according to Fred, "is the ability to find common ground among diverse interests, and then work toward solutions which benefit all."
In a Wisconsin career spanning almost 20 years, Fred has worn many hats. He is a skilled facilitator, and his work frequently involves resolving issues between stakeholders, neighbors, citizens and other affected parties in natural resource projects. He is a long-time arborist (tree climber), and provided tree care services to the City of Baraboo from 2002 until 2006. He is also a trained sawyer, and often performs his own logging work.
Fred was appointed by Governor Tommy Thompson to the Lower Wisconsin Riverway Board in 1998, where he served as a representative for Columbia County. In 2004, Fred was appointed by Governor Jim Doyle to the Wisconsin Council on Forestry, where he leads the Council's invasive species committee. As of January 5, 2009, Fred was inaugurated as the Representative for the 42nd Assembly District in the Wisconsin State Legislature. Upon taking this position, Fred was also appointed to the Council on Tourism. He now also serves as the chair for the Committee on Forestry, and the vice-chair for the Committee on Tourism, Recreation and State Properties
Prior to entering business, Fred was a Senior Forester with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and an ecologist with The Nature Conservancy. He has a B.S. from Michigan State University, and an M.S. in Forest Science from the University of Wisconsin–Madison.
Fred was a founder of the Woodland School, a Baraboo-based educational program offering conservation training to private landowners, now in its 10th year. He was also a founding member of the Baraboo Range Preservation Association, a non-profit land trust serving Sauk and Columbia counties. In 2004, Fred was elected for the first of three terms as President of the Free Congregation of Sauk County. Founded in Sauk City by German settlers in 1852, the Free Congregation is one of Wisconsin's oldest and most historic religious organizations.
Fred is a member of The Forest Guild, Society of American Foresters, The Nature Conservancy, and the National Wild Turkey Federation. In his spare time, he enjoys growing hazelnuts, milling wood, hunting, volunteering in the community, and exploring the state. Fred’s 14-year old son enjoys soccer, baseball, football, hunting and is very supportive of his Dad’s work.