NORTH COAST, Calif. – The Fort Bragg City Council member and forester who was slain a year ago has been honored posthumously honored with the California State Board of Forestry and Fire Protection’s highest award.
The board awarded Jere Melo, a registered professional forester, with the Francis H. Raymond Award for Outstanding Contributions to California Forestry.
Melo was shot to death in August 2011 by Aaron Bassler as he was working on forest land near Fort Bragg. Bassler later was shot by law enforcement.
The award presentation was made during the Board Meeting on Wednesday in Sacramento.
Representing Melo and accepting the award was his wife, Madeleine Melo.
The board recognized Jere Melo for his dedication to professional forestry in California.
His career in the timber industry spanned 45 years, primarily as the chief forester for Georgia-Pacific in Fort Bragg.
He then worked as a contractor for Campbell Timberland Management providing property management services on the 170,000 acres of forestland that they oversee in Mendocino County.
Melo served as an active member of the Jackson Demonstration State Forest Advisory Group from 2008 to 2011. In this capacity, he played an invaluable role in helping to build local support for a program of active management and research on the state's largest Demonstration State Forest.
He also was active in the development of the Coast Forest Practice Rules through the Coast DTAC and before the board.
Melo was a lifelong member of the Society of American Foresters and a founding member of the California Licensed Foresters Association, further demonstrating his strong commitment to his chosen profession.
In 1996, Melo was elected to his first term on the Fort Bragg City Council. He served as vice mayor from 1998 to 2000 and as mayor from 2000 to 2004. At the time of his death, Melo was in his 15th year and his fourth term of office as a city council member.
At the local level, Melo represented the city on the board of the Fort Bragg Fire Protection Authority for nine years and he was the chair of the Fire Protection Authority Board.
At the state level, Melo was very active in the League of California Cities. He served as president of the League’s Redwood Empire Division in 2000 and he served on the League Board of Directors from 2003 to 2008.
Melo had a commitment to public service at the County level and for 13 years he served on the Board of the Mendocino County Local Agency Formation Commission.
He loved working in the woods. He was dedicated to keeping the woods safe for timber workers and to protecting forestland from degradation by illegal trespassing, marijuana cultivation, dumping and encampments.
The award was named after Francis H. Raymond who was the director of the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection from 1953 to 1970, and was one of the primary advocates for the passage of the Professional Foresters Law in 1973.
Since 1987 it has been awarded to a group or individual who has achieved excellence in forestry in California.