In 1979, the thirteen Southern 1862 Land-Grant institutions and the USDA Forest Service signed a cooperative agreement creating the Southern Regional Extension Forester position to serve as a liason role between the USDA Forest Service and the thirteen Extension Forest Resources units in the South. The position has evolved into a regional programming, representation, promotion,and communication role within the forestry and natural resource communities regionally and nationally. The goal of the Southern Regional Extension Forestry Office is to identify, prescribe, and implement a mix of education and technical services that increase the efficiency of forestry programs in the southern United States.