For the first time in its 88-year history, the United States Forest Service has a research scientist at its helm instead of an engineer, a forester, or a public administrator. Environmental researchers are applauding the appointment of Jack Ward Thomas, a wildlife biologist from Oregon, as a breath of fresh air for an agency in the midst of transition from the primarily timber commodity-based outlook of the past decade to an ecosystem-based approach.
As the new chief, "Jack will be a strong advocate for the [Forest Service] to do a better job of integrating science into decisions and policy at the Washington level as well as activities on the ground," says Charles Philpot, a plant chemist and station director of the Pacific Northwest Research Station, the Forest Service (FS) research branch for Oregon, Washington, and Alaska. "I think we'll see a shift back to more technical capability on the management ...
