The Angeles National Forest has a new boss.
Jamahl Butler, 47, began as the new supervisor of the vast Angeles National Forest on Friday, moving into the permanent spot after serving as acting supervisor since March 8, the USFS reported.
Butler will be responsible for the 700,000-acre forest, as well as 452,000 acres of the San Gabriel Mountains National Monument, which is located within the Angeles. The monument, first established by President Barack Obama in 2014, was expanded in May 2024 by President Joe Biden to include closer-in areas in the western Angeles, including historic Chantry Flat north of Arcadia, the Arroyo Seco near Pasadena and forest lands near Sunland, Tujunga and Santa Clarita.
“I am deeply honored to serve as Forest Supervisor of the Angeles National Forest,” he said in a statement. “The Angeles has shaped much of my understanding of public service, and I look forward to building on the strong foundation created by those who have served before me.”
Butler is very familiar with the Angeles.
From 2016 to 2023, Butler was the deputy district ranger, then the district ranger, of the Los Angeles Gateway Ranger District of the Angeles. That area included the southwestern parts of the forest that later became part of the national monument. He started as an intern on the San Gabriel River Ranger District, he said.
He has worked in conservation and reforestation with the U.S. Forest Services for decades. Before that, he worked with the Utah Department of Natural Resources. Earlier in his career, he worked for the Memorial Park Conservancy in Houston, Texas, one of the largest and most heavily used parks in the country.
Butler also served as deputy forest supervisor for the San Bernardino National Forest since September 2023.
“I am really excited he is taking on this position. He has had a career with a strong connection to this landscape,” said Daniel Rossman, executive director of One Arroyo, a nonprofit working to preserve the Arroyo Seco, in partnership with the city of Pasadena. Previously, Rossman was with The Wilderness Society and was involved in preservation of the Angeles, as well as improving recreation and the visitor experience.
The 700,000-acre federal forest stretching from Santa Clarita to Upland makes the northern border of Los Angeles County, becoming the largest urban-interface forest in the United States and known as “L.A.’s Playground.” The Angeles draws 3 million to 4 million visitors per year who hike, bird watch, swim in the San Gabriel River, picnic, ride off-road vehicles, mountain bike and hunt.
The area provides 70% of the area’s open space and 30% of its drinking water.
Previously, forest supervisors were long-time bureaucrats at the end of their careers, serving as caretakers, awaiting retirement or a promotion in Washington D.C., said John Monson, long-time forest watcher, hiker and naturalist who chairs the Sierra Club Angeles Chapter’s Forest Committee.
“We think it is a great choice,” Monson said on Monday. “He is a home-grown product,” that will actually take an active role in managing the forest, he said.
Roman Torres was the last supervisor. He retired last year when President Trump with Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) cleared out thousands of government jobs at various departments, including many at the USFS working at the Angeles headquarters in Arcadia. Torres himself left at that time and retired.
Before that, Jerry Perez, a high-ranking bureaucrat in the first Trump Administration, became forest supervisor in October 2018. At age 60, he left the post in January 2022 to take a top-level position in the U.S. Forest Service as national director of fire and aviation management.
After Torres, there have been many interim or acting supervisors, which Monson described as “pretty disruptive.”
“From what we know, he’s a pragmatist. And he’s not likely to be seeking any position in D.C.,” Monson said. He added many people in the Sierra Club and in other conservation and environmental groups are also pleased with the selection.
Butler, in an interview late Monday, said he was humbled by the positive remarks from long-time forest watchers. “I don’t have any plans of going anywhere any time soon,” Butler said.
“What this forest needs to be successful is someone who can embrace local partnerships,” Rossman said. “And Jamahl comes from that. He’s starting off miles ahead of someone who had to come in and learn all the places and the players.”
Butler said partnerships, with nonprofits, corporations or those who help fix trails and provide engineering help are more than important. “They are vital,” he said. “For forest restoration and trail management, we have to do those things in an itegrated way. We have started to get better by coordinating with partners,” Butler added.
His priorities should be the forest ecology and reforestation while adapting to climate change, and ensuring the forest above Los Angeles and San Bernardino counties — only 90 minutes from close to 20 million people — remains a place millions can come to find solitude and recreation, Rossman said.
Pacific Southwest Region Acting Regional Forester Jacque Buchanan praised Butler’s hands-on experience and integrity. “His knowledge of the Angeles — its landscapes, communities, and complexities — positions him well to lead this forest into the future,” she said in a prepared statement.
“My game plan is to be of use,” Butler said. “To be of value. I’d like to help move things along and establish some orders of operation that are useful to the public.”