David Brownell

About David Brownell

David Brownell is a Senior Forestry & Natural Resource Specialist with over two decades of service in Pacific Northwest wildfire management, community-based forest restoration, and youth conservation mentorship. He began his career in his twenties as a wildland firefighter, serving on Interagency Hotshot Crews and responding to major fires including the 2002 Biscuit Fire and the 2007 evacuation action in Douglas County. In 2010, he transitioned from active suppression to preventative forestry, focusing on healing landscapes before destruction occurs.

He currently works for a regional forestry department in southern Oregon, where he applies his experience in watershed protection, prescribed burns, and Firewise community planning. His work centers on protecting forests and communities from wildfire risks while supporting long-term conservation efforts across the Rogue Valley and Siskiyou Mountains region.

Born on April 12, 1980, in Phoenix, Oregon, Brownell grew up in Jackson County, the oldest of three children. His father, Thomas Brownell, worked as a third-generation seasonal faller and high-climber in the southern Oregon timber industry, while his mother, Martha (née Vance) Brownell, was a librarian at the Medford Public Library. Raised near the Siskiyou Mountains, he spent his childhood learning woodsman skills, tracking, and fishing along the Rogue and Applegate rivers. When he was 15, his father suffered a serious logging accident that permanently injured his back, and Brownell assumed significant family responsibilities, working odd jobs and caring for his younger siblings Sarah and Marcus.

After graduating from Phoenix High School in 1998, he attended Southern Oregon University in Ashland, where he earned a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Science with a specialization in Forest Ecology and Watershed Management in 2003. He joined an Interagency Hotshot Crew in 2001 while completing his degree, serving as a wildland firefighter and crew boss across Oregon, California, and Washington until 2010.

Colleagues describe him as someone who stays calm under pressure, listens before speaking, and focuses on long-term solutions over short-term attention. He states that the most important work happens when nobody is watching and that the goal is leaving things better than you found them. He is known for his emotional intelligence, respectful treatment of others, and commitment to service over recognition.