Tom Schultz, of Idaho, has been appointed chief of the U.S. Forest Service.

Schultz previously served as vice president of resources and government affairs at Coeur d’Alene-based Idaho Forest Group, where he led timber procurement operations and managed relationships with government officials at all levels. He also has served as Idaho Department of Lands director, overseeing management of several million surface acres of endowment lands and minerals.

A former U.S. Air Force officer, he also held leadership roles in the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation, where he managed trust lands and water resources divisions. He holds a bachelor’s degree in government from the University of Virginia, a master’s degree in political science from the University of Wyoming and a master’s in forestry from the University of Montana.

Schultz succeeds Randy Moore, who retired after more than 40 years with the Forest Service and was appointed chief in 2021.

Schultz “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,” Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said in a USDA news release. “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.”

“I’m incredibly grateful for the opportunity to be the next chief of the Forest Service,” Schultz said in the release. “I will work tirelessly to further support and protect our rural communities. 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 praised Moore, who “has been a diligent public servant and has demonstrated his steadfast commitment to stewarding our national forests and grasslands.”

Schultz is a “forester’s forester,” U.S. Sen. Jim Risch, R-Idaho, said in a release. With over 27 years of natural resource management experience, “he is the no-nonsense leader our Western states urgently need to rein in the wildfire crisis and reinforce forest health.” And the appointment is “recognition of the immense value that Idahoans bring.”

Idaho for years has worked with the Forest Service and other agencies to help to reduce wildfire risk, such as through fuels treatments, on a landscape scale across jurisdictional boundaries.

“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,” Gov. Brad Little said in a release.

The state, wherein the Forest Service manages about 40% of the total land area, will “greatly benefit from having Mike Boren and Tom Schultz help carry out President Trump’s vision to boldly transform how wildfire and forests are managed across the West,” Little said. Boren, an Idaho resident, earlier was appointed USDA undersecretary for natural resources and environment.