Shawn Cochran named forest supervisor for Black Hills National Forest
RAPID CITY, S.D. (KOTA) - Regional Forester Frank Beum has announced that Shawn Cochran has been appointed as the new permanent Forest Supervisor for Black Hills National Forest. Cochran previously served as the Forest Supervisor on the Monongahela National Forest in West Virginia for the past five years. He will be replacing Ivan Green, who was serving as the acting forest supervisor. Cochran will join the Black Hills National Forest team on Jan. 14, 2024.
“We are happy that Shawn has accepted the position of Forest Supervisor on the Black Hills,” said Beum. “Keeping the important work of the Black Hills National Forest moving forward and meeting the commitments to our communities, Tribes, partners, contractors, and cooperators is essential and will be top priority of the new forest supervisor and all forest leadership.”
Shawn Cochran has served the USDA Forest Service for over 22 years and was previously the Deputy Forest Supervisor in the Ouachita National Forest in Arkansas. He has also held various other positions within the Forest Service, including Acting Director of Forest Management in the Southern Region, and Ecosystems Staff Officer on the Ozark-St. Francis National Forest in Arkansas, District Ranger in the Huron-Manistee National Forest in Michigan, acting District Ranger in the Ottawa National Forest, acting Forest Biologist in the National Forests in Florida, and District Biologist in the Ouachita National Forest.
Cochran holds a Bachelor of Science degree in biology and environmental science from Southern Nazarene University in Oklahoma, and a Master of Science degree in biology from Arkansas State University, where he focused his thesis work on the roosting ecology and habitat use of Rafinesque’s big-eared bat in the bottomland hardwood forests of eastern Arkansas.
Shawn spent his early years growing up on his parents’ cattle farm in Greenwood, Arkansas. He is married to his wife Keri Cochran and enjoys spending time with their three children, Silas, Samuel, and Sara.
For information about the Black Hills National Forest, visit https://www.fs.usda.gov/blackhills.
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