Weldon to head Forest Service Northern Region

WASHINGTON (AP) — Veteran forester Leslie Weldon has been named to head the Forest Service’s Northern region, overseeing 15 national forests and four national grasslands in Montana, Idaho and North Dakota.

Weldon, an external affairs officer at Forest Service headquarters in Washington, replaces Thomas Tidwell, who became Forest Service chief in June. Tidwell announced Weldon’s appointment on Wednesday, saying she brings a breadth of leadership experience in natural resource management.

Weldon began her career as a summer hire on the Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest in Washington state and has worked in a variety of jobs since then, including senior policy assistant to former Forest Service Chief Michael Dombeck. Weldon supervised Oregon’s Deschutes National Forest from 2000 to 2007.

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