By MIA MALDONADO/Idaho Capital Sun
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins has appointed Tom Schultz of Idaho as the country’s top forestry official.
Schultz will serve as the 21st chief of the U.S. Forest Service, an agency under the U.S. Department of Agriculture that oversees the 154 national forests and 20 grasslands across 43 states. In his role, he will lead forest management, research, development and wildland firefighting, the agency announced in a press release on Thursday.
Schultz previously was the vice president of resources and government affairs at Idaho Forest Group, a family-owned company based in Coeur d’Alene that is now one of the country’s largest lumber producers. Schultz also served as director of the Idaho Department of Lands where he managed millions of acres of endowment lands and minerals.
He also has leadership experience with Montana’s Department of Natural Resources and Conservation, managing trust lands and water resource divisions. The former U.S. Air Force officer holds a bachelor’s degree in government from the University of Virginia, a master’s degree in political science from the University of Wyoming and a master’s degree in forestry from the University of Montana.
“Tom is the right person to lead the Forest Service right now, and I know he will fight every day to restore America’s national forests,” Rollins said in the press release. “Together, Tom and the incredible employees at the Forest Service will work to execute the agenda of President Donald J. Trump to make America’s forests healthy and productive again.”
Schultz will replace Chief Randy Moore, who announced he is retiring effective March 3 after serving the agency for more than 40 years.
“Working to further healthier forests and a better Forest Service on behalf of the American people has been the honor of my life,” Moore said in the press release. “I am confident that Tom will continue to take steps to ensure the longevity, productivity, and splendor of our national forests and grasslands.”
- Idaho Capital Sun is part of States Newsroom, the nation’s largest state-focused nonprofit news organization.