"When Tony Tooke became regional forester for 13 Southern states in 2015, he made a promise that's shaped his reputation at the Forest Service: He wanted to meet soon with every state forester in the region.

"It amazed me, considering how busy his schedule was," Virginia State Forester Bettina Ring recalled this week.

Tooke kept his word, emerging as a good listener who's well-prepared for his new role as chief of the Forest Service beginning Sept. 1, said Ring and other people who've worked with him."

Marc Heller reports for Greenwire August 24, 2017. [2]