Washington, D.C., – U.S. Forest Service Chief Tom Tidwell today
announced his retirement 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 plus Puerto Rico. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny 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.” Some of his accomplishments include increasing
collaboration, with the Forest Service working with states, Tribes,
private landowners, and other partners for landscape-scale conservation.
These efforts have helped increase the benefits Americans get from
their national forests, as well as helped provide rural communities with
economic stability. As chief, Tidwell also focused on building a safe
and inclusive agency characterized by mutual respect and fairness. He
was particularly dedicated to improving safety measures to better
protect the lives and wellbeing of employees, especially firefighters.
Moreover, he played an instrumental role early on in drawing attention
and public support to confront the increasing severity and costs of
wildfires and their residual impacts on the agency’s lands stewardship.
Tidwell was appointed Chief of the Forest Service on June 17, 2009. His
final day in office will be September 1, 2017...
press release
Washington, D.C.
– Chairman Rob Bishop (R-UT) issued the following statement in response to U.S. Forest Service Chief Tom Tidwell’s retirement.
“Chief
Tidwell has been an advocate for improving the health, resiliency and
economic benefits of our national forest system. On a personal level, I
am sad to see him go. His time working Utah
demonstrated that he understands the state well, and it is clear we’ve
lost a friend with his retirement. We thank him for 40 years of public
service to the agency and its mission. As our nation continues to face a
forest health crisis, it is my hope that
the Trump Administration acts swiftly to appoint new leadership at the
Forest Service.”
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