Idahoan to lead U.S. Forest Service

A former director of the Idaho Department of Lands and executive with the Idaho Forest Group will be the next chief of the U.S. Forest Service.

Tom Schultz was selected by Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins to run the agency and succeed Randy Moore, who will retire Monday.

“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 a news release Thursday. “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.”

Before Thursday’s announcement, Schultz was to serve another role in the Trump administration. In January, he and another Idahoan were selected for high posts within the Department of Agriculture. Michael Boren, of Boise, was nominated to be the undersecretary of agriculture for natural resources and environment and Schultz was initially hired to be Boren’s chief of staff.

He will now lead the Forest Service and its more than 30,000 employees.

“Working with our partners, we will actively manage national forests and grasslands, increase opportunities for outdoor recreation, and suppress wildfires with all available resources emphasizing safety and the importance of protecting resource values,” he said in a news release.

In choosing Schultz, Rollins is departing from a tradition of selecting chiefs from the upper echelon of the Forest Service. Schultz has a long history in forest management but none as an employee of the agency. Prior to starting his work as chief of staff, he was vice president of resources and government affairs at the Idaho Forest Group. He previously was the director of the Idaho Department of Lands and worked for the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation.

While unusual, the move by Rollins to select a chief from outside the normal pool of candidates is not unprecedented. President Bill Clinton named Jack Ward Thomas as chief. At the time, Thomas was a well-known biologist at the agency but did not have experience as a top executive. Next, Clinton looked outside of the agency and selected Mike Domebeck, who had worked as a Forest Service fisheries biologist for a dozen years before becoming a science adviser to the Bureau of Land Management.

Idaho political leaders praised the hiring of Schultz and view his lack of history at the agency as an asset. The Forest Service oversees 193 million acres of forests and grasslands across the country, including about 20 million acres in Idaho. Its mandate requires it to manage for multiple uses, including timber, grazing, recreation and conservation.

That differs significantly from the direction of private timber companies and even state agencies that manage with an eye to profits over other considerations. The broader approach taken by the Forest Service and the much more complicated set of laws and regulations it must follow, including robust public involvement, means it is often less nimble than other timber managers, including the state. That can cause conflict between the agency and state political leaders who often press it to respond with greater force to wildfires and to approve more logging projects that provide a steady stream of timber for local mills.

“Tom Schultz’s deep, on-the-ground experience and skills, including his long-time service in Idaho, will be critically useful as he manages our federal forests,” said Sen. Mike Crapo in a news release. “He intimately understands how federal decision-making impacts our great state, and I look forward to working with him in this capacity.”

Idaho Gov. Brad Little reissued a news release Thursday that offered praise for Schultz and Boren.

“The appointment of Tom Schultz, an Idahoan, to such an important position for Idaho and the West signals the Trump administration’s continued support for how we do things here in Idaho,” he said in a news release.

The Idaho Conservation also welcomed Schultz. While he is Forest Service outsider, John Robison, public lands and wildlife director for the environmental group, said Schultz is well known throughout the state via his participation in collaborative processes that involve the Forest Service and other stakeholders.

“Chief Schultz understands firsthand how essential public lands and clean water are to our quality of life, identity, and rural economies,” he said.

During an interview earlier this month, Schultz, then poised to serve as chief of staff for the under secretary of agriculture, told the Tribune that ensuring the agency is prepared for the upcoming wildfire season will be a top priority. He also said the agency would strive to listen and understand the needs of various stakeholders as it carries out its multiple-use mandate.

“A big focus is to make sure we are aligned with our public,” he said. “We are there to serve the American public.”

Moore announced his pending retirement Wednesday and said in a message to employees that the staffing turmoil within the agency played a role in his decision to step away. The agency fired about 2,000 probationary employees in recent weeks. President Trump and his special adviser Elon Musk have said more layoffs across the federal government are expected.

Robison noted that will make it tougher on Schultz.

“He faces a significant challenge in keeping our national forests accessible and functioning for people, fish, and wildlife. Fortunately, Chief Schultz has a strong track record of collaborative success. He understands how recreationists, foresters, sportsmen, conservationists, and local communities can work together to improve forest health, watersheds, and rural economies.”

Barker may be contacted at ebarker@lmtribune.com.