June 17, 2024, Gainesville, FL— Jerry Holcomb of Liberty County was inducted into the National Association of Conservation Districts (NACD) Southeast Region Hall of Fame at their Southeast Hall of Fame Luncheon at the Southeast Region Meeting held in Gainesville, FL on June 17.
The Southeast Region Conservation Hall of Fame annually recognizes and honors individuals from the Southeast Region of the United States who have had a significant impact or influence on natural resources conservation practice or partnerships at the local, state, territory, regional or national levels.
Jerry Holcomb has been a District Supervisor representing Liberty County for the Coastal Georgia Conservation District for 14 years. He currently serves as the District Chair. He has been previously awarded GACD Supervisor of the Year for his leadership efforts throughout his region.
Jerry was born and raised on a diversified dairy, beef, and row crop farm in Peach County Georgia. Following High School, he attended Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College from 1965-1967. In 1968, he was awarded the American Farm degree from the Future Farmers of America organization and the following year graduated from the University of Georgia College of Agriculture with a B.S. in Agriculture. He later went on to obtain his master’s degree from the University of Georgia in 1980.
Jerry worked for the University of Georgia Extension Service as a County Agent from 1969 to 1999, served as City Arborist for Columbus, GA from 1987 – 1999, and as a consulting arborist from 1995 to present. During his time as a consulting arborist, he assisted the Georgia Forestry Commission with their Urban & Community Forestry Assistance program in partnership with the Georgia Urban Forest Council through his service as a circuit-rider arborist. In this capacity he assisted communities develop community forestry programs, revise tree ordinances, conduct hazardous tree assessments, prepared storm mitigation plans, conducted tree inventories, trained municipal tree care workers, and assisted with Tree City USA certifications. He is an International Society of Arboriculture (ISA) Consulting Arborist, operating a consulting business statewide.
Since being on the Board, Jerry has always been an active member working to promote the District and conservation efforts throughout the area. He has worked diligently to enhance educational workshop offerings to include estate planning, feral swine control, urban agriculture, erosion and sedimentation control, and forestland management. He has also been heavily involved in the annual Tree Care Seminar held in Woodbine, GA hosted for tree care professionals, government entities, and the general public to provide an opportunity to expand their knowledge on all aspects of tree care in urban settings.
The mission of GACD is to advocate for the conservation of Georgia’s natural resources by providing organization, leadership and a unified strategic direction to the Conservation Districts of the state. For more information on GACD or to explore opportunities on how you can support our efforts, please visit us online at www.gacd.us or on Facebook @GACDConserve.