Cedric Hudson of Perry County has been named Southwest Regional Forester for the Alabama Forestry Commission, the agency announced this week. He will officially assume the role on March 16.
Hudson, a Uniontown resident, was selected from a field of five candidates to fill the vacancy left by Benji Elmore’s retirement. State Forester Rick Oates and Assistant State Forester Will Brantley announced the appointment.
A registered forester with more than 23 years of service with the commission, Hudson is certified as a prescribed burn manager, wildland firefighter and Tree Farm inspector.
He earned a Bachelor of Science in Forestry Management from Alabama A&M University in 1997 and completed additional graduate-level coursework in forestry.
Hudson began his career as Perry County Forester in 2002.
He was promoted to Work Unit Manager in 2008, overseeing Hale, Greene and Sumter counties, then supervised Dallas, Perry and Bibb counties from 2011 to 2018.
For the past eight years, he has served as the Black Belt Work Unit Manager for Dallas, Perry and Wilcox counties, where his unit has been among the state’s leaders in prescribed burning.
He has also secured grant funding for UTV and ATV equipment to enhance fire suppression and field operations.
Hudson serves on the Alabama State Board of Registration for Foresters, the USDA Forest Service Resource Advisory Committee, and the Perry County Airport and Industrial Authority board.
He previously served 12 years on the Perry County Commission.
