Acting State Forester, May 28

During a special meeting this morning, the Board of Forestry voted unanimously to designate Nancy Hirsch as the acting state forester while the board conducts a nationwide open, competitive recruitment for Oregon’s next state forester. Hirsch will step into the interim role, which also serves as the chief executive officer for the Department of Forestry, on June 1. Hirsch served in a number of executive leadership roles at the department before retiring in 2019, including as chief of both the Protection and State Forests divisions and as the deputy state forester. Since her retirement, Hirsch has served as the administrator of the Emergency Fire Cost Committee, which supervises and controls the distribution of funds from the Oregon Forest Land Protection Fund. “Nancy has a wealth of knowledge and experience in forestry and fire protection in Oregon, and I am grateful for her willingness to return from retirement to serve in this capacity while we search for the next state forester,” said Board Chair Jim Kelly. “I am confident in her ability to seamlessly integrate back into the department’s operations and lead the department during this critical period of transition.” Aside from the transition in its top leadership position, the department will be navigating other significant challenges in the coming months, including the very high likelihood of a difficult fire season and the continued implementation of recommendations from both the recent assessment of the department’s fire finance function and the Governor’s Council on Wildfire Response. But those challenges did not deter Hirsch from accepting the board’s appointment of her as the acting state forester. “I respect and care deeply about the dedicated employees at ODF and the services they deliver every day throughout Oregon,” said Hirsch, who has spent more than 33 years with the department. “ODF is at a critical moment, and I am confident that with the support of the Board of Forestry, Governor’s Office, and Legislature, ODF can begin rebuilding trust and confidence in our fiscal responsibility and accountability.” While there was not an opportunity for public comment during the special meeting, Kelly said there will be opportunities for the public to provide input to the board throughout the recruitment process. A recording of the special meeting will be posted shortly to the Oregon Department of Forestry’s YouTube channel.