Spotted Owl Champion to Lead Forest Service

Dr. Jack Ward Thomas, well known for advocating forest management practices that protect wildlife habitat, was named the 13th chief of the U.S. Forest Service on November 17, 1993. Thomas, a wildlife biologist as well as forester who has been with the Service for 27 years, is a leading advocate of “ecosystem management” in our National Forests. He has chaired several high- profile scientific committees grappling with ecosystem management over the past several years, including the highly visible Interagency Scientific Committee on the Conservation of the Northern Spotted Owl. Last year, President Clinton intrusted Thomas with the important task of leading the Forest Ecosystem Management Assessment Team, which played a key role in crafting a plan to significantly limit cutting on National Forests in the Pacific northwest.

Thomas replaces F. Dale Robertson, who was appointed during the Reagan Administration and recently reassigned within the Department of Agriculture. The appointment of Thomas to the top Forest Service slot was a controversial move, since he had not been a member of the Senior Executive Service, a select group of top career Forest Service employees from which the chief has traditionally been chosen. Thomas’ appointment may set a dangerous precedent, since the Forest Service Chief is not considered a political appointee. Along with the Thomas appointment, David G. Unger was appointed to the number two position at the Forest Service. Unger had been serving as Acting Chief since Robertson’s reappointment and before that was the associate deputy chief for the National Forest Service with an emphasis in the area of conservation. Unger recently led a national initiative to implement and coordinate efforts to protect endangered fisheries habitat.