A new forest supervisor has been chosen to lead the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest, which includes the Methow Valley Ranger District.
The U.S. Forest Service last week announced Mike Williams as the new forest supervisor, headquartered in Wenatchee.
Williams is currently the forest supervisor on the Kaibab National Forest in the Southwestern Region 3, where he has been a leader in the Four Forest Restoration Initiative.
Williams has over 30 years of service with the Forest Service. He has worked as a line officer and in technical fields, including range, fire and restoration forestry, and worked in a special assignment to Capitol Hill.
During his time on the Kaibab National Forest, he reintroduced fire as a management tool, resulting in excellent results, according to a Forest Service announcement.
“I started my permanent Forest Service career in the Pacific Northwest and am really excited to return,” said Williams. “I look forward to the challenges and rewards of working with the dynamic communities and employees of the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest.”
Williams is a native of southern Minnesota, and grew up in a small agricultural town north of the Iowa border. He holds a bachelor’s degree in forest resource management from the University of Minnesota College of Forestry.
His first permanent job with the Forest Service was with the Siuslaw National Forest on the Oregon coast in 1977. Subsequent jobs took him to northern California and assignments on the Klamath, Plumas and Lassen national forests. He was district ranger on two forests in the northern Sierra Nevadas for more than a dozen years, and has served on the forest management staff at Forest Service national headquarters.
“Mike is a proven leader and he brings an extensive set of skills and experience to the Northwest spanning fire ecology, restoration and natural resource management,” said Jim Peña, Pacific Northwest regional forester. “His experience in community relations and collaboration will be a great asset.”
Williams begins his new position on May 26, replacing Mike Balboni, who retired last year.
