The Kootenai National Forest has a new supervisor.
Chad Benson replaced interim forest supervisor Cheryl Probert on July 22. Probert came to the Kootenai earlier this year on a temporary assignment from the Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forests in Idaho where she is supervisor.
Benson was born in Plains and has worked for the U.S. Forest Service in a number of roles since the 1990s across Montana and Idaho, including on the Lolo, Clearwater, Custer Gallatin, and Kootenai national forests. He has a bachelors degree in engineering science from Montana Tech in Butte.
As Kootenai supervisor, Benson will oversee more than 2 million acres in Montana and Idaho.