Douglas Bladek is the Forest Engineer on the Colville National Forest in Eastern Washington. He oversees a number of programs including facilities management, transportation planning and implementation, timber program support, forest restoration support, and supervises about 14 employees. Doug is recognized for his innovative solutions to leverage funding and develop a vibrant and resilient program during trends of decreasing resources.

Some of Doug’s recent accomplishments include; revamping the transportation planning process to increase efficiency and promote a more complete level of analysis, redefine road maintenance objectives to allow a stewardship approach to road management, redefine employee responsibilities to promote cross training and redundant skill sets, restructure the cost share program management, and having worked diligently to promote a successful forest restoration program as per the Collaborative Forest Lands Restoration Program (CFLRP). Additionally, Doug has been instrumental in the implementation of the Federal Energy Regulation Commission (FERC) dam projects and has developed partners with local government. While relicensing these dam permits, Doug implemented many restoration projects by decommissioning roads and replacing many culverts.

Doug served with the US Navy during the 1^st Gulf War attached to VA–145 Attack Squadron, after which, he received a Bachelor’s Degree in Environmental Health and Civil Engineering from Colorado State University in 2000. He was a member of the Bonneville Hotshots and then moved to a civil engineering position in the Monongahela Nation Forest in West Virginia. In 2006, Doug moved to Idaho on the Nez Perce National Forest as a Supervisory Civil Engineer and eventually transferred to the Colville NF in 2011.