Deschutes County hires new forester

Ed Keith has been hired as the new Deschutes County forester and will start on Monday, July 16.

Keith will replace County Forester and Project Wildfire Director Joe Stutler, who retired last week from the county.

“Living in Deschutes County means living with the threat of wildfire,” said county Commissioner Tammy Baney. “The job of the forester is an important link in the continuum of public safety services that help to protect our communities.

“Project Wildfire is an international model of how to engage homeowners in reducing the risk of a catastrophic event,” Baney said.

In his new position, Keith will continue the liaison role between the county and the U.S. Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, legislators, county committees or departments, environmental groups and community groups and will continue to assist in the development of the County All-Hazards Mitigation Plan.

He will act as technical advisor to Deschutes County commissioners and staff regarding forest matters and other responsibilities regarding fire hazard mitigation and forest policy.

Keith has a bachelor’s degree in Forest Management/Forest Recreation Management from Utah State and worked for the Oregon Department of Forestry since 2000, holding the positions of Forest Manager 2, Stewardship Forester, and Natural Resource Specialist 2.

Prior to his employment with the Department of Forestry, Keith was a park ranger for the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department. He was most recently stationed in Sweet Home, where he worked on the Fire Protection Program, the Private Forests Program, as well as administrative functions.