Archive Record
Images
Metadata
Title |
An Interview with Bill Timko |
Catalog Number |
2021.074.151 |
Object Name |
Recording, Video |
Scope & Content |
An Interview with Bill Timko >>Oral history interview with Bill Timko, Fairfax, VA, October 30, 2024 INTERVIEW SUMMARY This interview with Bill Timko, conducted at his Fairfax, Virginia home in the fall of 2024, provides a reflective and detailed look into his life and career in forestry, particularly within the U.S. Forest Service. Born in 1952 in Martins Ferry, Ohio, to immigrant parents from Poland and Slovakia, Timko grew up in a tight-knit, working-class community where coal mining and steel mills were the dominant industries. Initially pursuing engineering at Ohio State, he struggled academically but found his passion in forestry through friends in the program. He eventually transferred to West Virginia University and later earned a master’s degree in forestry from Yale, where he was introduced to public land management—a turning point in his professional trajectory. Timko's career included diverse roles, from seasonal work in Idaho to permanent positions with the Bureau of Land Management in Oregon, and later with the Forest Service in Montana. He was deeply involved in early forest planning efforts, pioneering digital mapping techniques and forest modeling well ahead of the widespread use of GIS. As a district ranger in Big Timber, Montana, he navigated complex issues including grazing, mining, and wildlife management during politically contentious times. Later, in Washington, D.C., he played a crucial role as Deputy Director of Forest and Rangeland Management, helping to shape the massive and complex Forest Service budget during a period of immense structural change. Most notably, he helped to moderate the financial impacts of a significant reduction in the timber program. His story reflects a blend of technical innovation, policy insight, and practical field experience across decades of change in public land management. CAREER TIMELINE >>Presale Forestry Technician, Nez Perce NF, 1976 >>Forester, BLM, Salem, Oregon, 1977 >>Forest Planner, Lewis and Clark NF, 1977-1981 >>Regional Forest Planner/RPA Coordinator, Northern Region R-1, 1981-1986 >>District Ranger, Big Timber RD, Gallatin NF, 1986-1991 >>National Forest Management Budget Coordinator, Washington Office, 1991-2000 >>Assistant to Natural Resource and Environment Undersecretary, Washington, 1999 >>Staff Senate Energy and Natural Resource Committee, Washington, 1999 >>Deputy Director of Forest Management, Washington Office, 2000-2014 >>Multiple Acting Forest Management Director assignments, 2000-2014 COPY & PASTE LINK BELOW INTO BROWSER TO WATCH INTERVIEW https://drive.google.com/file/d/1OqwU33sMyvVW6rsID-VQakZze2ixKgTx/view?usp=sharing |
Additional File |
Click Here to View Transcript. |
Year Range from |
2024 |
Year Range to |
2024 |
People |
Timko, Bill |
Subjects |
Big Timber RD Gallatin NF Lewis and Clark NF |
Search Terms |
Administration Fiscal Purchasing Business Mgt Congress Forest Management Forest Planning NEPA Oral History Personnel Timber Timber Resources |
Catalog date |
2025-07-29 |
Collection |
Oral History |