Office of Governor Tony Evers *FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:* October 3, 2025 Contact: [email protected]    *Gov. Evers Orders Flags to Half-Staff in Honor of DNR Forester Adam Zirbel *   MADISON — Gov. Tony Evers signed Executive Order #276, ordering the flags of the United States and the state of Wisconsin to be flown at half-staff on Sat., Oct. 4, 2025, in honor of Adam Zirbel, who unexpectedly passed away in the course of his work as a forester at the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, on Mon. Sept., 22, 2025, at the age of 48.

“Adam committed his life to preserving and protecting Wisconsin’s forestlands, and his sudden passing leaves behind a void in the hearts of all who had the privilege of knowing, loving, and working alongside him,” said Gov. Evers. “Kathy and I share our deepest condolences with Adam’s wife and kids, as well as his many loved ones, friends, and colleagues, as we join in paying our respects to Adam for his many years of dedicated service to the state.”

Born and raised in Wisconsin, Adam Zirbel earned his undergraduate degree in forest management from the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point and proudly served as a forester and wildland firefighter for 24 years. Most recently, Zirbel served as senior forester at Kettle Moraine State Forest’s Northern Unit, one of the state’s stewardship demonstration forests, where he worked diligently to maintain the forest grounds and educate students, private landowners, and professional foresters on sustainable forest management and responsible stewardship. Zirbel helped plant millions of trees on the Northern Unit and was responsible for setting up timber sales to address forest health, storm damage, and hazard trees, and to promote forests into the future. An advocate for protecting and conserving Wisconsin’s natural resources, Zirbel was a member of various state incident management teams, responding to significant weather events such as large wildfires, floods, windstorms, and tornadoes. He also taught many DNR courses throughout his tenure with the agency and was instrumental in the development of many aspiring foresters, taking them on as part-time employees and providing them the mentorship, skills, and knowledge needed to be successful.  

Services for DNR Forester Zirbel will be held on Sat., Oct. 4, 2025, in DeForest and Middleton.

Executive Order #276 will be in effect from sunrise to sunset on Sat., Oct. 4, 2025, and is available here [ [link removed] ].   An online version of this release is available here [ [link removed] ]. ###

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