Carlton Yee, resident of Eagle, Idaho, died on Dec. 13, 2024, at the age of 83. Born on May 25, 1941, in Morenci, Arizona, to Joe and Laura Yee, he was raised in the San Francisco Bay Area and graduated from San Mateo High School in 1959. He continued his collegiate education at Humboldt State University in (BS) forest management, Yale University in (MF) industrial forest administration, and Oregon State University for a Ph.D. in forest engineering and hydrology.
Early in his varied career, he worked as a timber sales officer for the U.S. Forest Service and an intelligence analyst with the NRO. He was a professor at various universities, including Humboldt State University (now Cal Poly Humboldt) for 30 years, doing research and instruction in forest operations and forest hydrology.
Besides a Ph.D., he had more than 30 years of research experience in forest operations, water quality, fishery habitat and soil erosion processes and mitigation. In addition, he was one of two technical advisors to the Best Management Practices Subcommittee of the Board of Forestry from 1978 to 1980, which resulted in the first revision to soil erosion, watercourse and lake protection, and other forest practice regulations.
From 1983 to 1991, he served as chair and vice-chair of the State Board of Forestry. He was also chair of the board’s Forest Practices Committee and headed up negotiations with the State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB) toward Best Management Practices certification of the Forest Practice Rules. He also led efforts to institute the first joint monitoring efforts of the Department of Forestry and State Water Board, the monitoring and assessment plan, and the “208 Study.” He was also the expert examiner for the Professional Forester Examining Committee, the group that examines and disciplines Registered Professional Foresters (RPFs) in the state. Carl held RPF license number 911. He retired from university life in 2000 but continued to be engaged in consulting forestry for clients in the western US.
His beloved wife, Judi, survives Carl, and he will be missed by his pet, Sadie, a Jack Russell extra-ordinary. While they had no children from their marriage, they had a passion for rescuing dogs many of whom were happy to greet him at the Gates.
At Carl’s request, there will be no memorial service. He has asked that his ashes be shot from a cannon where he will rest peacefully forever, hopefully in a forest somewhere.
The family requests that in lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Jack Russell Rescue of OR, WA & ID.
This article appears in Through Mark Larson’s Lens 2025.