New Deputy Ranger to Come on Board in Apalachicola National Forest

Allen Smith will join the National Forests in Florida June 7 as the new Deputy District Ranger in the Apalachicola National Forest.

The National Forests in Florida is preparing to welcome a new Deputy District Ranger to the Apalachicola National Forest.  Beginning June 7, Allen Smith will be stationed on the Apalachicola Ranger District in Bristol, Fla.

Smith, a 24-year veteran of the U.S. Forest Service, started his career as a forester trainee in 1984 on the Ouachita National Forest in Arkansas.  Subsequently, he served in various positions including Prescription Forester in Kentucky on the Daniel Boone National Forest, District Silviculturist on the Ouachita National Forest, and most recently as the Other Resources Assistant (ORA) on the Chattooga River Ranger District of the Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forests in Georgia.

Smith said he is looking forward to living in Florida and excited about the opportunities in his new position.

“The Apalachicola National Forest plays a valuable role in providing scenic and recreation opportunities while maintaining diverse natural and cultural resources,” he said.  “I am very fortunate to be provided the opportunity to work with the public, our partners and our employees to manage this unique national forest system.”

Smith will assume the responsibility of assisting the District Ranger in the oversight of multiple-use management and other aspects of public land management on the more than 567,000 acres of the Apalachicola National Forest.

Smith earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Forest Management in 1987 from Oklahoma State University in Stillwater.

He is married to Renee and has four children, Greg, Chance, Katie and Kyle.

Garth Smelser, the former Deputy District Ranger who served in the Apalachicola National Forest for three years, took a position as Deputy Forest Supervisor in the Lincoln National Forest, N.M.

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