U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue announced Tony Tooke will serve as the new chief of the U.S. Forest Service. Tooke has worked for the Forest Service since he was 18 and currently is the regional forester for the Southern Region.
Tooke is replacing Tom Tidwell, who announced his retirement last week after a 40-year career, characterized by his climb from a firefighter to a district ranger, forest supervisor to the head of the U.S. Forest Service, leading more than 30,000 employees working in all 50 states and Puerto Rico.
Perdue praised Chief Tidwell, saying, “From the start, we have relied on Chief Tidwell’s experience and counsel, drawing on his years of experience both in the field and in Washington. The Forest Service will miss the benefit of his knowledge but we wish him well on his retirement after more than 40 years of service with the U.S. Department of Agriculture.”
Tidwell was appointed chief of the Forest Service on June 17, 2009. His final day in office will be Sept. 1, 2017.
The Forest Service is the federal agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture that administers the nation’s 154 national forests and 20 national grasslands, which encompass 193 million acres.
From the Flathead Beacon: https://flatheadbeacon.com/2017/08/21/tooke-named-new-chief-u-s-forest-service/