BILLINGS, Mont. — The chief of the U.S. Forest Service stepped down just days after revelations that he’s been under investigation for alleged sexual misconduct and amid reports of rampant misbehavior, including rape, within the agency’s ranks.
A Forest Service spokesman on Thursday confirmed agency chief Tony Tooke’s sudden retirement, effective immediately and less than seven months after he was named to the post by Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue.
President Donald Trump’s administration moved quickly Thursday to install Vickie Christiansen, a wildland firefighter, to lead the agency.
Christiansen has been with the Forest Service for seven years and became a deputy chief in 2016. Before joining the federal government, she worked in forestry for 30 years at the state level, in Arizona and Washington.
Tooke’s departure was first reported by the Missoulian . It comes less than a week after PBS NewsHour reported that Tooke was under investigation over relationships with subordinates before he became chief.
In a Wednesday night email to Forest Service employees, Tooke said the agency “deserves a leader who can maintain the proper moral authority” as it addresses instances of harassment, bullying and retaliation.
He did not directly deny the allegations against him, saying he “cannot combat every inaccuracy that is reported.”
“In some of these news reports you may have seen references to my own behavior in the past,” Tooke wrote. “This naturally raised questions about my record and prompted an investigation, which I requested and fully support and with which I have cooperated.”
Forest Service spokesman Byron James declined to say if the investigation into Tooke would continue.