By NOELLE CROMBIE/The Oregonian/OregonLive

Oregon State Forester Cal Mukumoto will resign effective later this month amid complaints about the agency’s culture, personnel investigations into some of his top managers and sharp criticism over a funding shortfall during a historic wildfire season that led to a special legislative session to pay the bills.

Mukumoto’s resignation was announced Thursday by Board of Forestry Chair Jim Kelly during a board meeting. Mukumoto answers to the board, a citizen panel appointed by the governor that helps oversee and implement forest policy.

“I have the unpleasant task of informing all of you that I have received a resignation letter just in the last hour from our state forester,” Kelly told the stunned board. Kelly said Mukumoto would stay through Jan. 23.

“You’ve been serving in a near impossible job,” he said. “So I want to personally thank you for everything you’ve done.”

Mukumoto, appointed in 2021, manages an agency of nearly 1,400 employees and a biennial budget of about $577 million. His salary is $237,288.

Mukumoto said “political things” surrounded his tenure and that “clouded my ability to continue as state forester.”

Gov. Tina Kotek said in a statement that Oregonians “deserve strong leadership to chart a proactive path to protect our state’s forests for the benefit of healthy ecosystems, thriving communities and a strong economy.”

She said her staff will work with the Board of Forestry to “ensure a robust recruitment process” for Mukumoto’s successor.

“I expect all state agencies to operate with the highest standard of transparency and accountability,” she said.

Republicans in the Legislature welcomed the news.

Sen. Lynn Findley, R-Vale, who previously called for Mukumoto’s resignation, said the agency needs “fresh leadership to fix its problems and get back to serving Oregonians. We need leaders who focus on fire prevention, fiscal responsibility, and restoring trust” and Senate Republican Leader Daniel Bonham, R-The Dalles, called the shakeup “a chance to reset.”

House Republican Leader Christine Drazan, R-Canby, said the state needs a “strong, visionary leader who will address the Department’s budgetary woes with urgency, maintain an open line of communication with the legislature, and work collaboratively with local, state and federal leaders to prevent catastrophic wildfires.”

The agency has been beset with controversy. Last fall, its second highest-ranking official, Mike Shaw, was fired after an investigation determined he had a long-term sexual relationship with a subordinate, according to records.

An internal investigation found that another top manager, Mike Wilson, violated state workplace rules last year when he was overly familiar with a subordinate, remarked on her appearance and seemed to refer to the size of his genitals over drinks after work, records showed.

Employees have complained steadily about the agency’s culture.

The Oregon Department of Administrative Services received at least a dozen Forestry employee complaints dating to early 2023, with a “plurality” alleging gender discrimination, according to records obtained by The Oregonian/OregonLive.

The Department of Administrative Services, which serves as the state’s central administrative department, said eight of the complaints remain open.