Tidwell New Chief of the Forest Service

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Region 1 Regional Forester, Tom Tidwell is the new Chief of the U.S. Forest Service.

Tidwell, a 32 year Forest Service veteran, had been rumored to be in the running to replace the retiring Gail Kimbell, but the appointment wasn't expected until a new Agriculture Undersecretary had been named. Homer Lee Wilkes, who had been the Obama Administration's nominee, withdrew from consideration June 10.

Tidwell, 54, a quiet and unassuming man, with a gentle sense of humor, is the third consecutive Region 1 Forester to be named Chief. Dale Bosworth and Ms Kimbell both did tours in Missoula before being elevated to the Chief's position.

Tidwell is widely regarded as a problem solver and collaborator, skills that should serve him well in the Chief's office. He was a guiding force in the Montana Forest Restoration Working Group, a collaboration of conservation groups, outfitters, recreation interests and sawmill owners.

"Tidwell understands the American public's vision for a national forest has been changing," Wilderness Society communications director, Bob Ekey, told Missoulian reporter Rob Chaney. "People expect supplies of clean water, world-class wildlife habitat and recreation opportunities in their forests."

Dale Harris, who chaired the Working Group and is director of the Great Burn Study Group, was pleased for Tidwell, but lamented his departure from Montana. "Of all the folks I've worked with in my career, he's one of those rare individuals who has in his bones an understanding of how important it is to collaborate with affected publics," he told Chaney. "It might be the nation's gain but I think it's our loss."

Montana Wood Products Association President, Chuck Roady, also had high praise for Tidwell. "We know him well and we look forward to working with him," Roady told Evergreen. "He certainly understands the plight of western Montana's sawmills and he understands our forests and their biomass potential.

Roady is general manager of Columbia Falls-based Stoltze Lumber Company, Montana's oldest lumber company. The company hopes to build a biomass-fueled power plant on its mill site, and would be a buyer of federal biomass if it is included in the new renewable energy standard winding its way through Congress.

Dale Bosworth also applauded Tidwell's selection. "I think the public was growing weary of the fighting, and Tom's been there to support collaboration and help lead it," he told the Missoulian. "This administration is interested in people who can collaborate, and that makes Tom a natural."

Mike Garrity of the Alliance for the Wild Rockies also praised Tidwell. "He's always been professional and polite to deal with, but in the end we've ended up suing him regularly - at least 20 times since he's been regional forester. Still, he's had the most open office and he doesn't take disagreements personally. I appreciated that."

Before his stint in Missoula, Tidwell worked on eight other national forests in three regions and held posts ranging from District Ranger to Forest Supervisor and Legislative Affairs Specialist in the Washington office. He also has extensive fire and firefighting experience.

Dead Trees Threaten West's Watersheds

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Rocky Mountain Regional Forester, Rick Cables, has again pleased with Congress to do something about the dramatic increase in the number of dead trees clogging western national forests.

Cables, who is chief forester for the Forest Service's Rocky Mountain Region, told members of the House Natural Resources Committee that the headwaters of the Colorado River, an important source of water for residents in 13 states, are in the middle of 2.5 million acres of dead and dying timber in Colorado and southern Wyoming.

"The arid West "absolutely depends on national forests as the source of their water," Cables said. "The reach of this watershed is unparalleled in the West."

According to Cables, the cities of San Diego, Los Angeles, Phoenix and Tucson, get at least 25 percent of their tap water from the Colorado River, which drains the headwaters of the Rocky Mountain Region. Others have estimated that around 80 percent of all municipal water consumed in western cities and towns comes from forests, and since most forest land in the West is federally owned, their declining condition has become a matter of grave concern.

Cables urged House panel members to increase funding so the Forest Service can do a more effective job of battling a bark beetle outbreak that now spans millions acres in Colorado, Wyoming, Montana, Idaho and eastern Washington. The outbreak is fueling increasingly destructive wildfires that Cables says "literally bake the soil," leaving behind a waxy layer that is impervious to water and, thus, promotes flooding and soil erosion.

Although the problem is acute west-wide, it has reached epic proportions in the arid Southwest and in Colorado. The City of Denver has spent millions of dollars attempting to restore its watershed, which has been heavily damaged by wildfire and insects. At least a dozen towns bordering Colorado national forests are at risk, as are three well known ski resorts: Breckenridge, Vail and Winter Park. Also threatened are thousands of miles of electric transmission lines that criss-cross the Rockies.

Meanwhile, in a closely related matter, the House continues to debate whether to include biomass from federal forests in the new renewable energy standard. In a blow to publicly supported efforts to clean up western national forests, Congressman Henry Waxman's House Energy and Commerce Committee voted to exclude it, but the full House has yet to vote on the matter.

For more information, see Editor's Columns: This is Just Crazy," "This is Embarrassing," "What a Joke" and the "Green Eyeshade Boys." And for more information on the declining health of western national forests, click on  http://portal.evergreenmagazine.com/magazine/past_issues.html  Look for issues with cover photographs of forest fires.