After serving for several months as the Acting Supervisor of the Angeles National Forest, Thomas A. Contreras was officially named as the new Forest Supervisor for the Angeles this week.

“I welcome the opportunity to manage one of the most heavily-used urban forests within the nation,” he said. “I know there will be challenges ahead for us, but given those challenges, we also have amazing opportunities. I look forward to maintaining and establishing lasting relationships with our visitors, partners, employees and others in the near future.”

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Contreras, lauded as “highly skilled” in Forest Service policy and land management administration, has served the Forest Service for more than 30 years, many of them in high-level positions. He previously served as Supervisor of the Mendocino National Forest.

He began his Forest Service career in 1976 as an environmental interpreter on the Ashley National Forest in Utah and has served in nine national forests in three Forest Service regions, including the Intermountain Regional Office headquarters in Utah and the Pacific Southwest Region Office in Vallejo.

He was Deputy Forest Supervisor for the Shasta-Trinity National Forest and served there as regional winter sports specialist, providing expertise on winter sports management to state and federal agencies.

He has also served as a legal affairs specialist at the Forest Service National Office, as district ranger, deputy forest supervisor and recreation staff officer at Uinta National Forest in Utah. He has extensive fire experience and has participated in numerous task forces and safety investigations.

Contreras has bachelor’s degrees in forest management, outdoor recreation, management administration and environmental interpretation from Colorado State University and University of Edinburgh, United Kingdom.