Governor reveals Oklahoma’s Chief Forester is out of job after wildfires sweep across state

By Robby Korth
Kosu.org
March 26, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: United States, US East

Just weeks after devastating fires ravaged Oklahoma, Gov. Kevin Stitt revealed the man in charge of the state’s forest management is out of a job. Mark Goeller has roughly 40 years of forestry experience and has worked as Oklahoma’s State Forester since 2018. Stitt panned the agency’s response to the wildfires that raged across the state in mid-March, burning more than 170,000 acres, killing four, injuring hundreds and destroying more than 400 homes, including one owned by the governor near Luther. At a Wednesday press conference, the governor was asked why Goeller would no longer work in his role. “He’s the head of the forestry department, and we had a horrible, horrible wildfire in the State of Oklahoma, and I didn’t think they did a really good job,” Stitt said in response. It’s unclear what part of the wildfire response Stitt did not like.

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