The Mark Twain National Forest 鈥� Missouri鈥檚 largest forest at 1.5 million acres 鈥� welcomed a new forest supervisor in July. Vince Keeler comes by way of the White Mountain National Forest in New Hampshire and Maine, where he spent two years. He told St. Louis on the Air that he and his wife think they can make Rolla home.
鈥淚t's a beautiful place. The people here are great. Our employees, my goodness, hardworking and down-to-earth,鈥� Keeler said. 鈥淭here's a lot of things going on that I think will keep me busy for a long time.鈥�
With Mark Twain National Forest鈥檚 massive footprint, Keeler oversees projects involving maintaining the natural environment, working with nearby residents and promoting the forest鈥檚 recreation to Missourians of all backgrounds.
More than a half-million people visit the forest every year.
鈥淚f you have someone coming from St. Louis and they're used to the noise of the city, they may get scared being in the woods or hiking on a trail,鈥� he said. 鈥淲hereas you have someone else from a rural area and want to continue to have serenity and peace and quiet, they鈥檙e hiking or recreating for a different reason, and so [it鈥檚 about] just helping people try to understand and respect each other's differences when it comes to being out on trails.鈥�
across central and southern Missouri, yet they are all maintained together. That鈥檚 important because a key role of the U.S. Forest Service is its use of prescribed burns 鈥� intentional fires designed to thin the forest and clear dead leaves to help keep the habitat healthy.
鈥淭here鈥檚 a little bit of a different dynamic in each direction. But we make sure to manage it as a whole,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t takes about two hours to go from one end of the forest to the next. We tend to do a good job of communicating and working with our partners to make sure we achieve goals and objectives.鈥�
For more with Mark Twain National Forest鈥檚 supervisor Vince Keeler, including how getting lost in the woods led him to what鈥檚 already a more than 20-year career in forestry, listen to St. Louis on the Air on , , or click the play button below.
鈥�鈥� brings you the stories of St. Louis and the people who live, work and create in our region. The show is produced by Ulaa Kuziez, , , , and . The audio engineer is .
