U.S. President Joe Biden’s administration announced this week career forester Randy Moore will lead the country’s forest service, the first African American to hold the position in its 116-year history.
U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced the appointment. The department includes the forest service. Vilsack said Moore will take over for current Forest Service Chief Vicki Christiansen, when she steps down July 26. Christiansen has held the position since 2018.
Moore has overseen 18 national forests in California since 2007. He is also responsible for management of state and private forestry programs in Hawaii and the U.S.-affiliated Pacific Islands.
Moore began his government career in 1978 at the USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service in North Dakota. His forest service career began at the Pike and San Isabel National Forests in Colorado and the Comanche and Cimarron National Grasslands in Kansas.
