Wisconsin forester remembered after fatal lightning strike
By Emily Pofahl
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KEWASKUM, Wis. (WISN) — Adam Zirbel, a 48-year-old state Department of Natural Resources forester, was killed by a lightning strike while working in the New Fane Trail area near Kewaskum on Sept. 22, leaving behind a legacy of conservation and community service.
Lucas Schmidt, who worked with Zirbel, reflected on his colleague’s dedication to preserving Wisconsin’s natural beauty and his impact on the community.
“What we do today isn’t for today. It’s for tomorrow,” Schmidt said.
Zirbel, a forester for more than two decades, worked across the state before settling in Plymouth with his wife and three children. While committed to his work, Schmidt said Zirbel was even more committed to his family, making sure to attend his children’s sports games and spending quality time with his wife.
“Growing his children or growing his relationship with his wife was equally as important as growing those trees,” Schmidt said.
Zirbel spent most of his time over the last eight years in the DNR working in the northern unit of the Kettle Moraine State Forest, contributing to the preservation and growth of the woods that thousands of Wisconsinites enjoy annually. Zirbel also responded to emergencies, including natural disasters and search and rescue events, as part of the DNR’s incident management team.
“We think in terms of decades and centuries. Most of the time in today’s day and age, we think in terms of minutes and hours.” Schmidt said. “Adam really embodied that. Not only was he growing the next crop of trees, he was growing the next crop of foresters that would tend to his work after, you know, when he was gone.”
The National Weather Service says lightning kills about 20 people every year but injures hundreds more.
“Although extremely rare, this case illustrates the need to take the threat of lightning and the dangers it poses seriously,” said the Washington County Sheriff’s office in a statement posted to social media. “Adam dedicated his life to the service of others as a father, husband, community leader, and DNR forester. We are better off because of Adam’s contributions to society, and he will be missed by many. He died performing a civil service to the people of Wisconsin, and for that, we are all forever grateful for his service.”
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