Here's an extremely important tid-bit from today's WashingtonPost:

[ On Jan. 12, the Forest Service announced that chief Dale Bosworth is retiring, to be replaced as head of the agency by Abigail Kimbell, regional forester for the northern region, based in Missoula, Mont. On Monday, Bosworth, as a parting gift, announced that there is a plan to "reduce operating costs of the Washington office and regional offices by approximately 25 percent" in the next couple of years. We all know what that means. "The new organization will . . . be smaller," he said in announcing the "realignment." Well, Bosworth's showing the way, leaving his office on Feb. 2. True leadership. ]

The new US Forest Service will indeed be smaller. Many of the services provided by the USFS will be outsourced. The range of recreation facilities operated by the USFS will shrink dramatically. Resources that can be privatized will be privatized.

Call this a radical TRANSFORMATION of the USFS.  "Transformation" is the name that has been given to this program internally and expect we'll be hearing a great deal more about it in the weeks and months to come.

  Outgoing Chief Bosworth supported the privatization agenda, but never had his heart in it.  I predict incoming Chief Kimbell will take her place along side such privatization greats as Gale Norton and Lynn Scarlett. To get some jobs done it takes the right woman and from initial indications, Abigail Kimbell is someone who can bring about the long sought- after privatization / transformation of the USFS.

For too many years the US Department of Agriculture lagged behind the Department of Interior in it's zeal to advance the privatization agenda. I expect that the gap will soon be narrowing.

Scott 

CLICK HERE to read the January 22, 2007 internal US Forest letter from Chief Bosworth titled "Forest Service Realignment" 

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