JOHN DAY — Malheur National Forest Supervisor Craig Trulock has retired after four years in the post, triggering a cascade of changes in leadership positions within the agency.

Trulock, 57, stepped down at end of business on Friday, Feb. 3, after a 32-year career with the U.S. Forest Service.

Deputy Forest Supervisor Ann Niesen will serve as acting forest supervisor while the agency evaluates candidates to fill the position permanently, the Forest Service announced in a press release.

“I am looking forward to strengthening relationships with partners and the community,” Niesen said.

Niesen joined the Malheur National Forest staff in January 2022. She has a bachelor’s degree in resource management from Mankato State University with a focus on recreation and a second major in geography.

Her 22-year career with the Forest Service includes a stint working on the Umatilla National Forest from 2013 to 2017.

“My career has been heavily focused in recreation until I came to Eastern Oregon, to the Umatilla,” Niesen said. “It quickly expanded to grazing and large landscape restoration work.”

Joshua Giles, district ranger for the Malheur’s Emigrant Creek district, will step in as acting deputy supervisor of the forest. He started with the Malheur National Forest in 2009, then served for a brief stint in the Southwest before returning to the forest in 2019.

“I look forward to the additional exposure to the north end of the forest while continuing work toward the forest’s objectives of a healthy forest and thriving community,” Giles said.

Paul Bartschi, a supervisory geographic information systems specialist, will move into the role of acting district ranger on the Emigrant Creek district.

Sarah Bush, a deputy fire staff officer with the Malheur, is filling a recent vacancy and serving as acting district ranger for the Prairie City district, while Sally Christensen continues to serve as district ranger on the Blue Mountain Ranger District, a post she has held since July.

Trulock came to the Malheur as acting supervisor of the 1.7 million-acre national forest in November 2018 following the departure of Steve Beverlin. The posting was made permanent in June 2019.

Before coming to the Malheur, Trulock spent five years as deputy supervisor on the Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest in Southwest Oregon. Prior to that, his Forest Service career had included postings in Idaho, Montana, Alaska and Wyoming.

Shortly after Trulock began work in John Day, the long-awaited revisions of the management plans for the Malheur, Umatilla and Wallowa-Whitman national forests were withdrawn amid bitter recriminations from stakeholder groups that had been involved in the 15-year planning process.

An important part of Trulock’s duties became serving on the Blues Intergovernmental Council, a regional advisory group formed to address community concerns and get the planning process back on track. The BIC recently forwarded its recommendations to the Forest Service for review.

More recently, Trulock had been involved in planning for a new contracting framework to replace the long-term stewardship contract for work on the Malheur National Forest. That contract, awarded to Iron Triangle in 2003, is set to expire at the start of next month.

Trulock had planned to open bidding on a new long-term stewardship contract in November, but that process is now on hold.

In October, Trulock and the Malheur were thrust into the national spotlight when Grant County Sheriff Todd McKinley arrested Forest Service burn boss Rick Snodgrass on a reckless burning charge after embers from a prescribed burn near Bear Valley jumped a county road and scorched about 20 acres of private ranch land. No formal charges have been filed in that case, which is still pending.

Trulock declined an interview request for this story.