Ron Lance
Park Naturalist
Ron Lance brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to Chimney Rock Park. He is a native plant specialist who has more than 25 years of experience growing, studying and teaching about native plants.
Ron has written numerous tree & shrub guides and keys for Southeastern plants, including The Woody Plants of the Blue Ridge published by Haywood Community College; The Surveyor's Guide to the Trees of North Carolina, published by the NC Association of Surveyors; his self-published Hawthorns of the Southeastern United States; Hawthorns and Medlars, co-authored with James B. Phillips and published by Timber Press, and his newest release, Woody Plants of the Southeastern US - A Winter Guide, a college-level reference book with illustrations and keys for winter plant identification (University of GA Press). He is currently working on a field guide to hawthorns.
As Naturalist, Ron conducts scheduled workshops and guided hikes for Park guests. Some frequent topics include winter plant identification, plant propagation, summer tree identification, old growth forest hikes, natural history walks, mammal lectures, and orienteering and compass use.
A native of Henderson County, NC, Ron received a 2-year degree in Fish and Wildlife Management from Haywood Community College, where he also completed the curriculum for Lumber Specialist. Several jobs in the horticultural, forestry, lumber, and environmental trades led to employment with the North Carolina Arboretum in 1988. During his 13-year tenure at the Arboretum, he served as nursery manager and natural science curator.
Ron was President of the International Oak Society from 2000-2003 and is now serving as Secretary. He served as conference chairman in planning the Third International Oak Conference at the NC Arboretum in 2000.
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