The federal agency that manages three million acres of public land in northeastern Minnesota, including the 1.1-million acre Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, has a new leader at its Duluth headquarters. Tom Hall has been appointed as Forest Supervisor, and started work earlier this month.
Most recently, Hall served two-and-a-half years in Washington, D.C. at the Department of Agriculture’s legislative office. Before that, he was a District Ranger on the Shasta-Trinity National Forest in northern California. The Forest Service says he has twenty years of experience in sustainable land management.
“I am looking forward to helping the Forest, Tribes and Partners continue to manage the iconic landscapes in Northern Minnesota,” says newly appointed Forest Supervisor, Hall, “I plan to continue to build on the relationships with the tribes, navigate and manage the complexities of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, ensure sustainable and science based natural resources management occurs at the landscape scale, and enable the public to sustainably enjoy their federal lands.”
A native of Colorado, Hall started his career in the Forest Service at the San Bernardino National Forest in southern California, working in planning and environmental review. Before that, he served as a helicopter mechanic in the Colorado National Guard for seven years.
In the years ahead, Hall will be involved in important decisions regarding the Superior National Forest. The agency is poised to decide about a controversial expansion of Lutsen Mountains ski area, prepare a 20-year moratorium on mining upstream of the Boundary Waters, deal with the rapidly rising popularity of the wilderness and more violations of regulations and Leave No Trace principles.
The agency in recent years has cut the number of Boundary Waters permits, raising the ire of many outfitters and others who say it was done without public input. There are also ongoing management issues regarding tow boat, or motorized shuttles, use above intended levels in the 1978 BWCAW Act, infestations of invasive species, climate change, and the challenges of both prescribed fire and wild fires.
Hall replaces Connie Cummins, who retired in July. Cummins had served as supervisor since 2016.