Allison Blair has been selected as the John Day Unit forester for Oregon Department of Forestry’s Central Oregon District.

Blair has been serving as the interim unit forester since June of 2019 and will officially begin her new role starting May 1, according to an ODF press release.

The John Day Unit forester is responsible for managing fire protection on nearly 1.5 million acres of forest and rangeland, in addition to managing staff responsible for administering Oregon’s Forest Practices Act and forestry technical assistance for landowners in Grant, Gilliam, Wheeler, Morrow and Harney counties.

In Blair’s more than 20-year career with ODF, she has served as a seasonal firefighter, dispatcher, wildland fire supervisor and most recently as the community wildfire forester for ODF’s West Oregon District prior to her interim role as the John Day Unit forester. Her experiences on the fireline, managing fire crews and working with landowners and the public provide her a strong foundation as she fills this role permanently. Throughout her career, Blair has participated in the statewide wildfire response effort and currently has qualifications as a strike team leader, task force leader and is a division supervisor trainee.

“I am honored to have been selected to continue as the John Day Unit forester and become a permanent part of ODF’s Central Oregon District,” said Blair, expressing her enthusiasm for beginning this new role. “I have always respected the fire program in Eastern Oregon, so I was excited for the opportunity to temporarily fill the position last summer. I enjoyed the challenges and successes and building relationships with landowners and the community.”

Previous John Day Unit Forester Ryan Miller is now Central Oregon District’s federal forests restoration coordinator working with federal land managers to increase pace, scale and quality of restoration work on federal forest lands in central Oregon.

ODF’s Central Oregon District continues to serve landowners and the public as an essential service for Oregonians. For additional information on ODF’s Central Oregon District, including contact information and unit offices, visit odfcentraloregon.com.