DENVER – U.S. Forest Service Chief Tom Tidwell announced today the selection of agency veteran Daniel Jiron as the new regional forester for the Rocky Mountain Region.

The Rocky Mountain Region manages resources and activities across more than 22 million acres of forest and grassland in Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska, South Dakota, and Wyoming. A forest supervisor leads each of the 11 National Forest and Grassland units, which are divided into ranger districts.

“Dan’s background, savvy and passion for our forests and grasslands suit him well for this important post,” Tidwell said. “Dan will hit the ground running to deal with the myriad opportunities and challenges facing the Rocky Mountain area, including bark beetle infestation, our accelerated restoration efforts and a soon-to-be finalized national planning rule.”

Jiron replaces Rick Cables, who retired last year and subsequently took a position as Director for the Division of Colorado Parks and Wildlife.

Jiron has served as the Deputy Regional Forester for the Pacific Southwest Region since August of 2010, which encompasses 18 National Forests, and approximately 20 percent of California’s land base at 20 million acres. The Pacific Southwest Region also includes conservation programs in Hawaii, and the United States affiliated Islands in the Pacific.

Prior to being Deputy Regional Forester, he served as Forest Supervisor of the Santa Fe National Forest in New Mexico and also served as a Trustee for the Valles Caldera National Preserve. Previously, Jiron has served as the National Press Officer and Agency Spokesman in Washington, D.C., Communications Director for the Intermountain Region of the Forest Service and as a District Ranger on the Salt Lake Ranger District, Wasatch-Cache National Forest in Utah and the South Park Ranger District, Pike and San Isabel National Forests and Comanche and Cimarron National Grasslands in Colorado.

Early in his career Jiron served as an aide to United States Senator Ben Nighthorse Campbell from Colorado. He earned a Bachelor’s Degree from Colorado State University in 1986 and a Master’s Degree from Regis University – Denver in 1997.