Women’s History Month | Holly Hutchinson, Forest Environmental Coordinator

Holly Hutchinson was amazed when she learned in 2007 seasonal workers could get paid $14 an hour to snorkel for fish and hike streams all summer long. She was a graduate student studying fisheries at Michigan State University back then. On a whim, she applied for a seasonal fisheries job on the Umpqua National Forest in Oregon. She didn’t expect a summer job would be the start of a career that leverages science to improve forest health while providing business opportunities.

By May 2016, Hutchinson became the Forest Environmental Coordinator for the Colville National Forest. She leads a team of resource specialists who design projects that restore forests and watersheds while contributing to the local economy. For example, she heads the Colville National Forest Plan Revision Team. The Forest Plan sets the expectations for how all different kinds of projects can be done on the forest, such as logging, watershed restoration, and roadwork. It focuses on the “end result” ecosystem benefits and outcomes, while managing the resources removed from the land.

“Think of it like city zoning,” Hutchinson said. “The Forest Plan establishes where activities like timber harvesting and road building are appropriate and also sets other regions as back country or recommended wilderness areas where recreation and wildlife management is more important.”

The Forest Plan sets land management goals (thinning tree stands, reducing sediments in a waterway, improving roads, etc.) while meeting local community needs (providing local employment and raw material). Wildlife biologists, fish biologists, hydrologists, recreation staff, foresters, and other resource specialists write reports related to how proposed projects would affect their area of expertise on the forest. It’s part of Hutchinson’s job to put that information into a document for the public to review.

“I am passionate about natural resources, but it’s the connections I make with people that are the best part for me,” she said. “I love working with a team of people, and I love the variety of people I get to interact with, both within the Forest Service and the members of the public that get involved with our projects. It’s amazing how important the work we do is to all of us – Forest Service employees and the public.”

Her highest achievement was getting the Colville National Forest Revised Land Management Plan into the public objection process in 2018. But Hutchinson didn’t do it alone; it took a team of specialists, line officers, and the support of the public to get to that point. When Forest Service staff sign a decision, it’s the ultimate professional achievement for the whole team. 

During the public review process, it can be difficult to hear negative comments about government employees. Some people believe the Forest Service designs projects to serve industry needs. Others complain about decisions they believe bend to frivolous environmentalist pressure. Sometimes it seems as if balance can only be achieved if both sides have something to criticize.

“What I want the public to know is that everyone in the Forest Service is working to do the right thing for their resource,” Hutchinson said. “Everyone is here because they care about what they do, and because they believe in the mission of caring for the land and serving the people.”