WASHINGTON (AP) — Veteran forester Randy Moore has been named chief of the U.S. Forest Service, the first African American to lead the agency in its 116-year history. Moore replaces Vicki Christiansen, who has led the agency since 2018. The Forest Service, a division of the Agriculture Department, oversees 193 million acres of public lands in 154 national forests and 20 national grasslands. Moore has served as regional forester in the California-based Pacific Southwest Region since 2007, where he has responsibility for 18 national forests in California and Hawaii. He will take over from Christiansen upon her retirement July 26.
