Sonora, CA…The Stanislaus National Forest welcomes David Updike as the new Forest Fire Management Officer (Chief 1) for the Stanislaus NF. David begins full time duties on the forest October 1, 2016 after transitioning from the Sierra National Forest.

Christian Schow was the Forest Fire Management Officer on the Stanislaus NF from 2011 to early 2016. He moved up in the ranks of Forest Service fire management and accepted the position of the Deputy Director of the Pacific Southwest Region Fire and Aviation Management in early 2016. We were able to take advantage of the training opportunity Chris’ leaving provided and allowed others to gain experience in this position until hiring David.

David Updike began his Fire Service career in wildland firefighting at the Mountains Recreation Conservancy Authority in southern California, where he established and built the agency’s fire division with 40 apparatus with full-time and seasonal employees. For 19 years, 9 of them as the Fire Chief, David fostered partnerships with federal, state and local agencies to conduct resource benefit prescribed burns throughout southern California. After his 19-year career there, serving as the Fire Chief for the last 9 years, David moved to Quincy, California, to accept a position with the U.S. Forest Service as the Deputy Forest Fire Chief for the Plumas National Forest. He promoted from the Plumas National Forest into the Forest Fire Chief position on the Sierra National Forest where he is currently assigned.

David has extensive experience with building lasting relationships with cooperators and was instrumental while on the Plumas NF in receiving the Regional Forester Award for “Partnership of the Year” in 2015 with the Concow Maidu Tribe. David was nominated for the Regional Forester Award “Rookie of the Year” in 2015 for his efforts in recruiting and mentorship. David has been progressive in wildfire use management while working with cooperators to provide a more aggressive prescribed fire program. He holds numerous incident qualifications and enjoys the dynamics and hard work experienced during on-scene wildland fire operations. In addition to his firefighting career, David also holds a position as a lead instructor at Pepperdine University and Rio Hondo Community College’s Wildland Fire Academy. He considers teaching and mentoring the next generation of firefighters and leaders his most rewarding work.

The mission of the U.S. Forest Service, part U.S. Department of Agriculture, is to sustain the health, diversity and productivity of the nation’s forests and grasslands to meet the needs of present and future generations. The agency manages 193 million acres of public land, provides assistance to state and private landowners, and maintains the largest forestry research organization in the world. Public lands the Forest Service manages contribute more than $13 billion to the economy each year through visitor spending alone. The agency has either a direct or indirect role in stewardship of about 80 percent of the 850 million forested acres within the U.S., of which 100 million acres are urban forests where most Americans live.