Randy Moore, a career USDA employee who now oversees 20 million acres of national forests in California, will be the first Black chief of the U.S. Forest Service in its 116-year history, announced Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack on Monday. Moore will succeed Vicki Christiansen, who is scheduled to retire as chief on July 26.
“In his role as regional forester, Randy has been a conservation leader on the forefront of climate change, most notably leading the Region’s response to the dramatic increase in catastrophic wildfires in California over the last decade,” said Vilsack. “His proven track record of supporting and developing employees and putting communities at the center of the Forest Service’s work positions him well to lead the agency into the future at this critical time in our country.”
Over the next month, Moore and Christiansen will collaborate on an “intentional leadership transition,” said the USDA, as the Forest Service prepares for what is expected to be a fiery summer in the drought-battered U.S. West.
Moore has led the Pacific Southwest Region. also called Region 5, of the Forest Service since 2007. Region 5 manages 18 national forests that cover 20 million acres, or one-fifth of California. He also oversees state and private forestry programs in Hawaii.