By Brent Addleman | The Center Square

Danielle Fitzko has been appointed as commissioner of the Vermont Department of Forests, and Recreation, Gov. Phil Scott said.

Danielle Fitzko, commissioner of the Vermont Department of Forests, and Recreation

The Republican governor announced the appointment early Tuesday. Fitzko has served as interim commissioner of the department since January and has been employed with the department for 20 years. For the past four years, Fitzko has served as director of forests within the department.

Fitzko replaced Michael Snyder, according to a release, who served as commissioner for the past dozen years. Her salary as interim commissioner, according to the governor’s office, is $121,576 per year and her new salary as commissioner has yet to be determined.

“Danny has demonstrated a deep commitment to Vermont and our natural assets over the course of her two decades of service to the department,” Scott said in a statement.

Fitzko said she looks forward to collaborating with the employees of the department.

“With a deep-rooted passion for Vermont’s forests, the mission and people of FPR, and public service, I am excited to help steward Vermont’s natural environment and connect people to them on behalf of the people of Vermont,” Fitzko said in a statement.

The Vermont State Park system, which Fitzko will oversee, employs 130 full-time people and more than 400 seasonal workers. Vermont’s forests cover more than 4.5 million acres, which is 78% of the state, according to the department’s website.

The department, according to a release, is one of three branches within the Agency of Natural Resources, along with the Fish and Wildlife Department and the Department of Environmental Conservation.

“Danny’s vision, energy, and optimism for the future of Vermont’s forests and the role forests can play in making Vermont more resilient to the effects of a changing climate were among the reasons she was selected for the role,” Natural Resources Secretary Julie Moore said in a statement. “She has a proven record of setting a clear vision and establishing effective pathways to implementation.”

Fitzko, over her two decades with the department, spent 15 years overseeing the Urban and Community Forestry Program. The program helps construct local capacity to add greenery to developed areas.