Practice Areas: Natural Resource Management

Michael G. Buck has over four decades of leadership experience in natural resource management. With more than 25 years at the Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR), he served as the administrator for the Division of Forestry and Wildlife (DOFAW) from 1989 to 2004. His career includes roles as a resource survey forester and coordinator for the Natural Area Reserves system. Michael has chaired the Council of Western State Foresters, served on the Board of Directors of the Western Forest Leadership Coalition, and been a Federal Invasive Species Advisory Committee Member. His reappointment by Governor David Ige to the Commission on Water Resource Management, where he has served since 2014, underscores his ongoing commitment to environmental stewardship in Hawaii.

Internationally, Michael represented the United States four times at the United Nations Forum on Forests. He drafted and led support for key federal and state legislation, including the Hawaii Tropical Forest Recovery Act and the Endangered Species Recovery Act. His deep knowledge of federal and State of Hawai‘i environmental and natural resource laws is complemented by expertise in facilitation and conflict resolution, particularly in natural resource public policy and traditional indigenous rights.

Michael holds leadership roles as President of the Malama Honua Public Charter School Foundation and member of the Hawaii Fresh Water Council. His academic background includes a Master of Science in Forest Resources Conservation from the University of Florida and a Bachelor of Science in Resources Management from the State University of New York. Currently, he resides and works as a farmer on his farm in Waimanalo, embodying his lifelong dedication to sustainable living and natural resource management.