A former Wasatch-Cache National Forest supervisor has been named regional forester for the U.S. Forest Service's Intermountain Region.
As regional forester, Dale Bosworth, a 28-year veteran, will guide natural resource management in 16 national forests in Utah, Nevada, southern Idaho and southwestern Wyoming.Bosworth is currently deputy regional forester for the Pacific Southwest Region, which manages 18 national forests in California.
An environmental group that closely watches activities in Utah's national forests praised the appointment, which was announced last week.
"We've found (Bosworth) very good to work with," said George Nickas, assistant coordinator for the Utah Wilderness Association. "He was progressive and fair when he was the Wasatch-Cache supervisor. We hope that kind of approach will continue . . . ."
Bosworth worked as Wasatch-Cache supervisor from 1986 to 1990. Even though he didn't always make decisions that UWA agreed with, "he had an open process that allowed us to have an opportunity to present our case," Nickas said.
Nickas, whose group has been highly critical of Forest Service policies in Utah, noted that forest officials have been discussing changes in philosophy during the past year.
"I'm not so sure we've seen a lot of change on the ground. We think Dale's a guy that will walk the talk. He's the kind of guy who can help along some of the changes that we're trying to see."
Those changes, Nickas said, include a reduction in timber harvesting and more emphasis on ecosystem management, a policy in which the forests are managed as a whole rather than for their commodities.
Bosworth will be assisted by Jack Blackwell, who was named deputy regional forester for the Intermountain Region.
A 25-year veteran, Blackwell has worked in Minnesota, Alaska, Vermont, Wisconsin and most recently in Washington, D.C.