Council, Weiser get New Ranger
Paul Klasner took over the position of Payette Forest Council and Weiser District Ranger on May 5th. He has worked for numerous forest agencies during his career.
He has worked for the Forest Service, Park Service, and the Bureau of Indian Affairs since 1997. He worked for the Payette National Forest from 2006 through 2022, in both fire and forestry on the Krassel, McCall and New Meadows Ranger Districts and at the Supervisor’s Office from 2019 through 2021 and was the Natural Resources Staff Officer on the Forest.
In 2022, he began working for the Intermountain Regional Office, coordinating wildfire crisis strategies and disaster recovery efforts across the region.
He and his wife have two young adult children who will both be attending Boise State University in the fall.
Klasner said he is excited to be here in Council and Weiser and that he looks forward to working with local commissioners, partners, and businesses.
When he was asked if he expected there to be more logging on the Payette he said, “The Payette and the agency are committed to working with industry to manage the National Forest System lands. Logging will continue to be used as a tool to meet the Forest’s land management goals, and we are developing strategies to be consistent with the current administration’s priorities regarding timber volume.”
When asked whether the Payette was prepared for fires like we had last summer Klasner said, “The Payette Fire Organization is well staffed with very experienced, professional firefighters who are prepared to deal with whatever gets thrown their way. We also work closely with our partners, including rural fire protection districts, and Southern Idaho Timber Protection Association to provide professional, coordinated fire response. Some of our support functions may struggle this year due to the recent downsizing of the agency, but we are working to address those functional areas. In addition, the Forest is continuing to reduce wildfire risk to developed and other high value areas by the completion of thinning, timber harvest, and prescribed burning projects. The Forest will work with our partners to efficiently and effectively manage wildfires and appreciate the support of the community and partners in these efforts.”
Klasner added that the safety of employees and the public are priorities as well as caring for the land and serving the communities in his district.
“I look forward to working collaboratively with folks in the local communities, our partners and contractors, and others to meet the needs of the public and communities, while sustaining the health, diversity, and productivity of the Council and Weiser Ranger Districts,” he said.
