Thomas L. Tidwell was the 17th Chief of the United States Forest Service (USFS) of the Department of Agriculture, and was appointed on July 17, 2009, succeeding Gail Kimbell. He was succeeded by Tony Tooke, who was sworn in September 1, 2017.[1]

Thomas Tidwell
17th Chief of the
United States Forest Service
In office
July 17, 2009 – August 31, 2017
PresidentBarack Obama
Donald Trump
Preceded byGail Kimbell
Succeeded byTony Tooke
Personal details
BornBoise, Idaho
SpouseKim
Alma materWashington State University
OccupationForester

Biography

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Early life and education

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Tom Tidwell grew up in Boise, Idaho. He graduated from Washington State University, where he was a student of Rexford F. Daubenmire.[2]

Forester

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Tidwell began his Forest Service career on the Boise National Forest in fire, and has since worked on eight different national forests, in three regions. He has worked at all levels of the agency in a variety of positions, including District Ranger, Forest Supervisor, and Legislative Affairs Specialist in the Washington Office, where he worked on the planning rule, the 2001 roadless rule and the Secure Rural Schools County Payments Act. Tom served as the Deputy Regional Forester for the Pacific Southwest Region (California, Hawaii, and the Pacific Islands) with primary responsibility for fire and aviation management, recreation, engineering, state and private forestry and tribal relations. Tidwell also served as Forest Supervisor during the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, Utah. On June 17, 2009, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced that Tidwell would serve as the new Chief for the United States Forest Service. "Tom Tidwell's 32 years of experience in our forests and impressive track record of collaboration and problem-solving will help us tackle the great challenges ahead," said Vilsack.[3]

Personal

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Tom is married to Kim, and they have one daughter, MacKenzie.[4]

References

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  1. ^ "Forest Service leadership lands in Southern hands". September 14, 2017. Retrieved January 25, 2018.
  2. ^ Sowards, Adam M. (2015). "Rexford F. Daubenmire and the Ecology of Place: Applied Ecology in the Mid-Twentieth-Century American West". In Phillips, Denise; Kingsland, Sharon (eds.). New Perspectives on the History of Life Sciences and Agriculture. Springer Publishing. pp. 297–372. ISBN 978-3-319-12185-7.
  3. ^ "Agriculture Secretary Vilsack Names New Chief for U.S. Forest Service — Southern Regional Extension Forestry".
  4. ^ "In the USFS hot seat".
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Political offices
Preceded by Chief of the United States Forest Service
2009–2017
Succeeded by