David Groeschl has more than a few interests to balance, as the new state forester and division administrator of forestry and fire with the Idaho Department of Lands.

Like those of environmental groups. Private landowners. Commercial industries. The Environmental Protection Agency, on top of the state's interests.

His run-on sentence of a title says it all. There's a lot to juggle, including forest health emergencies, wildfires, quandaries with timber sales, easement requests.

He's ready for it all.

"Vision wise, it's really about a healthy forest for all Idahoans," said Groeschl, who had been acting state forester since July and officially donned the title in October. "I think change will be something we continually look at."

Often pinballing between the state's 14 area offices, as well as timber sale sites and treatment areas when he's not in his Coeur d'Alene office, Groeschl oversees the Fire Management Bureau, the Forest Management Bureau and the Forestry Assistance Bureau. His management encompasses the full life cycle of Idaho trees - protecting them from flames across 6 million acres of state and private forest lands, addressing diseases that infect them, and occasionally harvesting them.

He is aware of his role's greatest challenge, he said.

"It's probably trying to address the various perspectives of stakeholders out there, and trying to find that balance," Groeschl said. "It comes down to being open, listening to what they have to say, understanding where they're coming from and working through issues for solutions that work for everyone."

Likely his most well known responsibility is management of endowment lands, which generate revenue for K-12 education from timber sales and other management practices.

"It's a pretty significant component," he said.

Groeschl has already been invested in the work. He helped create the forest assessment management plan implemented to boost harvest levels over the past three years, he said.

"We went from harvesting 212 million board feet to 247 million board feet," he noted. "And we did that increase over a three-year period."

He said the agency is also hoping to diversify the use of endowment lands to include more stable land assets like commercial property, so the state isn't so dependent on the fluctuating timber sales.

The net revenue from endowment lands is generally between $40 to $60 million a year, he said, depending on the housing market and timber demand.

"We want to manage those lands well and do so in a sustainable fashion," he said, adding that such changes could happen over the next five to 10 years.

The duties assigned to Groeschl as state forester have historically been tackled by the state lands director, said Tom Schultz, who currently holds that title.

But the previous director had tapped Groeschl as the acting forester, and Schultz deemed him worthy of taking on the role permanently.

"As managing state lands has increased in complexity with exchanges, sales, legislation, I wanted somebody focused on forestry issues in the state," Schultz said.

Groeschl, previously the forest management bureau chief for the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation, is highly qualified for the role, Schultz added.

"He has a strong forestry background, both academic and applied," Shultz said. "I've worked with him and trust him extensively."

Groeschl, who also has 23 years of forestry experience in the private, industrial and public forestry sectors around the country, represents the state on national and state forestry organizations in his new role.

Groeschl said he will focus his discussions with agencies on collaboratively achieving best forest management across all ownerships.

"As a state forester alone, you have less influence individually on that large a topic than what you can do on state and private lands," he said.

Groeschl has a bachelor's in forest management from the University of Wisconsin, and a master's in forestry from Virginia Tech. He is the father of three, ages 14, 17 and 19.

Unsurprisingly, his hobbies include hunting, hiking and camping.

"I have a passion for what I do. I love forestry," Groeschl said.