Gail Kimbell, Chief, United State Forest Service

Abigail (Gail) R. Kimbell became the 16th Chief of the Forest Service on February 4, 2007.

Gail grew up in New England and her first experiences with the Forest Service were family hikes in the White Mountain National Forest in New Hampshire organized by her father. She earned a BS in Forest Management from the University of Vermont and an MF in Forest Engineering from Oregon State University. Gail started her forestry career working seasonally on the Umatilla National Forest in Oregon and her first professional position was with the Bureau of Land Management in Medford, OR. She worked in timber management and planning on the Chugach (Kodiak, AK) and the Willamette (Detroit, OR) National Forests. She then served as District Ranger on the Colville (Kettle Falls, WA) and the Wallowa-Whitman (LaGrande, OR) National Forests. Later, she was privileged to serve three times as Forest Supervisor - on the Tongass (Petersburg, AK), the Bighorn (Sheridan, WY) and the Pike and San Isabel (Pueblo, CO) National Forests before moving to the National Office as an Associate Deputy Chief for the National Forest System. Gail served as Regional Forester of the Northern Region from February 2004- February 2007. She replaced former Chief Dale Bosworth, who retired February 2, 2007.

Gail and her husband, Ed Stryker, enjoy the great outdoors camping, fishing, hiking, skiing and flying. He is a pilot and a land surveyor and they have two dogs.

How Is Globalization Affecting America's Forests-And What Can We Do?
The integration of markets worldwide affects America's forests through the spread of invasive species. Even more far-reaching are the effects of global climate change. Most far-reaching of all is the loss of jobs and forest management capacity due to declining American competitiveness on the global market for wood. Active management across landscapes through multijurisdictional partnerships can control the spread of invasive species and help forest ecosystems adapt to climate change. However, forest management capacity is needed. Government can encourage biomass markets, niche markets for specialty wood products, and markets for ecosystem services such as carbon, helping to stanch capacity loss.