Photo by Sue Misao
Becki Lockett Heath, supervisor of the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest – which includes the Methow Valley Ranger District – has been named deputy regional forester for the Oregon and Washington region of the U.S. Forest Service.
Heath will begin work July 1 as one of two deputy regional foresters in the region’s Portland headquarters. There are 16 national forests, a national scenic area and a national grassland comprising 24.7 million acres in Region 6, which has approximately 3,500 employees and a budget of $420 million.
“I am honored to have been selected to be a part of providing leadership to the Pacific Northwest Region,” Heath said. “I look forward to engaging with directors and programs for which I have responsibility. The Pacific Northwest is my home and I have tremendous loyalty to this region and its employees.”
Heath has been supervisor of the 4.1-million acre Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest since 2007. She is a career Forest Service employee who began working for the agency in 1980. She graduated from Oregon State University in 1976 with a bachelor of science degree in recreation and environmental education. In 1980, she obtained a master of science degree in forest management from the University of Washington.
The Forest Service did not immediately name a replacement for Heath.
