Faculty Retirement: Charlie Blinn

December 11, 2024
Charlie Blinn holds out his hands, which are cupping some dirt.
Professor and Extension Specialist Charlie Blinn smiles with a dirt sample at an Extension-led field tour. Photo by UMN Extension. 
Charlie Blinn headshot.
Blinn has taught at UMN for 40 years. Photo courtesy of Blinn. 

Professor and Extension Specialist Charlie Blinn has helped provide an important connection between the wood supply chain and academia by serving as an instructor for practicing and emerging professionals alike. As an Extension specialist, he’s provided outreach education to loggers and foresters across the state of Minnesota; as a professor, he’s trained emerging foresters; and as a researcher, he’s been investigating on-the-ground issues related to logging operations, road planning, and forest management. This winter, after 40 years with the UMN Department of Forest Resources, he is stepping down from those positions to focus instead on family, travel, and all the other good things that come with retirement.

Blinn grew up in Connecticut, where he developed his work ethic and love for the outdoors. His interest in forestry was sparked when his parents acquired a bit of forested land. He remembers how his mother would ask questions about things they’d come across when walking in the woods, which Blinn would later look up the answers to. “It got me interested in natural science,” he says. So he went on to earn a B.S. in biology from Bethany College in West Virginia, then a master’s degree in forest soils from the University of Tennessee. After that, a stint working on a biomass harvesting project and doing part-time logging work in Arkansas piqued his interest in harvesting operations, so he pursued a PhD in Industrial Forestry Operations at Virginia Tech. “I always had an interest in working on things that have direct application to people working in the field today,” he says. [Read “Are winter weather trends impacting northern Minnesota logging businesses?” to learn about research Blinn has contributed to.]

When Blinn joined the Department of Forest Resources in 1984, his focus was on research and continuing education. Yet, he says, “I quickly realized that tomorrow's practicing professionals are in the classroom today. What better time to make a connection to them than in the classroom?” So he proposed to former Department Head Alan Ek that he start teaching university students, too. The rest, as they say, is history.

A man inspects a dirt sample on a field tour.
Blinn examines a dirt sample. He's never been shy about getting his hands dirty. Photo by UMN Extension.

Due to his unique position, Blinn’s tenure has facilitated a near-constant dialogue between researchers and emerging and practicing professionals. It’s an aspect that he has loved about his work: learning from practitioners in the field and bringing that knowledge back to university students. “Being able to talk about things I learned from practicing professionals, it inspires students to ask deeper questions,” he says. “Working with them helps me become a better instructor.” [Read "From Students to Experts: Speaking With Your Audience," Blinn’s tips for engaging with both working and emerging professionals.]

On top of that, his personal connections to working professionals has helped UMN students access opportunities to gain helpful experience and knowledge prior to graduation, like doing a “ride along” with a logger or forest manager. Getting out of the classroom and into the shoes of a working professional can shed some helpful light on potential career paths.

But providing education isn’t his sole focus; Blinn also cares for the environment and people who work in the wood supply chain. “Sustaining a resource also means sustaining the businesses that help manage that resource,” he says. “You can't have one without the other.”

Blinn’s expertise, kindness, wry sense of humor, and generous spirit will be missed by the Forest Resources community.

~ This article is part of the Fall 2024 Forest Scene newsletter (Issue 32). Access additional articles in the table of contents that follows the image description.

Image descriptions:

  • Image 1: A light-skinned man with gray hair and blue eyes holds his hands out. He's cupping dirt in them and smiling with his mouth open. He wears a camp baseball cap and a blue windbreaker while holding a folder in his armpit.
  • Image 2: An older man with light skin, gray hair, and blue eyes. stands in front of a tree branch with green leaves. He's wearing a maroon t-shirt and smiles with his mouth closed. 
  • Image 3: Four men stand in a forest wearing jackets. At left, a light-skinned older man in a camo baseball cap touches a dirt sample that the man at right holds. The other two men are engaged otherwise in the background. 
Cover of Forest Scene Issue 32, Fall 2024.

The Forest Scene newsletter is published biannually in the spring and fall, featuring stories, research briefs, and updates from the Department of Forest Resources. 

Click the following links to read articles from the Fall 2024 edition of Forest Scene (Issue 32):