Jay Sullivan came to Virginia Tech as a newly minted Ph.D. He found a university with a strong forestry program, a passionate faculty, and motivated students. The forests and mountains of southwestern Virginia were a great place to make a home and raise a family, so he stayed here and made a career, a career that drew to a close when Sullivan retired in December after 36 years.
Sullivan joined the Department of Forestry before there was a College of Natural Resources and Environment. Through the changes, the expansions, and the promotions to full professor and former department head, Sullivan remained true to the primary mission of teaching and helping students reach their potential.
In 2015, Sullivan was selected as head of the Department of Forest Resources and Environmental Conservation. He served in that role until opting to step back into a full-time faculty position in January 2025.
Sullivan was asked to reflect on his long and distinguished career at Virginia Tech.
When did you come to Virginia Tech?
I arrived in fall 1988, shortly after completing my Ph.D. at the University of California-Berkeley.
What made you choose the field of forestry?
I grew up camping, fishing, and backpacking, and I wanted a career that promoted conservation of the resources I loved. Initially, my interests were forest biology and ecology, but an influential professor and co-student (to whom I’ve now been married for almost 45 years) got me interested in forest economics as a direction that might have the greatest impact on decision-making and policy formulation that would make a difference.
What have been your central areas of research?
As a grad student, I had the opportunity with the U.S. Forest Service to help build an economic impact analysis system known as IMPLAN. My role was to develop analysis procedures, and that experience was formative in my career. Interestingly, IMPLAN is still used today, though long-since privatized. I noticed the current version of that system was even used recently to examine the economic contributions of Virginia Tech in the Commonwealth.
At Virginia Tech my research focus has been on economic incentives for forest conservation and restoration, that is: how do we keep forests as forests? Projects have examined forest landowner challenges in Virginia and beyond, including threats of insects, ice damage, and others: afforestation of frequently flooded lands in the Mississippi River Delta, Appalachian hardwood reforestation of surface-mined lands, and establishment of gum plantations in West Africa. Of course, there have been numerous other studies over the years and all have been challenging, but having the opportunity to work alongside other faculty and students to solve the challenges we faced has been enormously satisfying, even if sometimes stressful in the moment.
How has the field of forestry changed in the years you’ve been a researcher and educator?
Technological advances in data acquisition like GPS, remote sensing, drones, and field equipment get a lot of deserved press, but, for me, in forest economics I am amazed at how the questions we address have evolved over the years.
As a student or new facility member, I never would have dreamed about some of the issues and products that have emerged, such as forest carbon as a valuable commodity, or a millennia-old product like barrel staves would be in such demand, or that we would be talking about aviation fuel as a viable forest product. It would have seemed like science fiction that solar facilities or data centers would become pressing land use concerns. The level of interest in all aspects of forests and forestry for their role in solving global challenges facing society is pretty amazing, too.
What has stayed constant in your time here?
The quality and passion of the students and faculty over the years in pursuing their careers and answering the fundamental issues in forestry.
What were the campus and university like when you arrived Virginia Tech?
You could see mountains from every window on the third floor of Cheatham Hall!
What meaning have you found in your career at Virginia Tech?
The most rewarding aspect has been seeing the success of our students in their careers, with so many in influential positions in industry, agencies, and academia. With many, those successes were expected, but some who you weren’t sure how they would even graduate turned up in amazing places with incredible responsibilities and important roles!
What advice would you offer to younger faculty members who are just entering their careers?
Pour into our students, as I think they always will be the greatest impact that we can have in our short careers.
What’s next for you?
I will be chasing my wife and grandchildren around the mountains of Southwest Virginia and across the globe, continue teaching the Bible to college students at my local church, do a little rock climbing and mountain biking, and promoting forestry education with the Virginia Forestry Education Foundation.
