Leadership

Regional Forester

The Regional Forester is responsible for managing and providing oversight for 24.9 million acres across 16 National Forests, two National Scenic Areas, and one National Grassland in the Pacific Northwest. This includes coordinating activities between National Forests, monitoring activities on those lands to ensure quality operations, providing guidance for forest plans, and allocating budgets to each Forest.

Jacque Buchanan

Regional Forester, Pacific Northwest Region

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Jacqueline “Jacque” Buchanan is the Regional Forester for the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Forest Service’s Pacific Northwest Region (Region 6), where she leads the management of national forests and grasslands in Oregon and Washington. She has served in this role since Jan. 14, 2024.

Jacque assumed additional interim leadership roles Nov. 2, 2025, and is the Acting Regional Forester of the Pacific Southwest Region (Region 5) where she manages national forests and grasslands in California, Hawaii and the U.S. Affiliated Pacific Islands. She also supervises the Acting Regional Forester of the Alaska Region (Region 10). Additionally, Jacque is the Forest Service Executive who oversees the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA)/Planning and Tribal Relations programs.

Jacque has served with the USDA and the Forest Service for more than 30 years. Prior to her current role as Regional Forester, she served as a Deputy Regional Forester for the Rocky Mountain Region for 8 years in Lakewood, CO.

Jacque’s career in the Forest Service has been diverse. She has worked extensively in resource management focusing on overall forest health, fire management, range, wildlife, wilderness and Wildfire Crisis Response. She has also worked in International Forestry and has traveled to Brazil, Guyana, and India teaching Fire Leadership courses and helping those countries to establish both Fire and Wilderness management programs.

She has also served as the Director for Renewable Resource in the Rocky Mountain Region, the Forest Supervisor on the Bridger-Teton National Forest in Jackson Hole, WY and was the Deputy and Forest Supervisor on the Lincoln National Forest in the Southern part of New Mexico.

Jacque holds a Bachelor of Science in Natural Resources from Pennsylvania State University.

Deputy Regional Foresters

The Deputy Regional Foresters report to the Regional Forester and are responsible for oversight of specific regional program areas as assigned, ensuring consistency and support across functional areas. In addition, Deputy Regional Foresters supervise the Forest Supervisors in the region, providing guidance for implementing agency objectives on the national forests and grasslands under their management.

Jackie Groce, Acting Deputy Regional Forester, Pacific Northwest Region

Robert Sanchez, Acting Deputy Regional Forester, Pacific Northwest Region