Oregon’s embattled state forester, Peter Daugherty, submits resignation Updated May 07, 6:10 PM; Posted May 07, 10:43 AM State Forester Peter Daugherty on the stand at a 2019 trial where jurors awarded 13 rural counties more than $1 billion in a breach of contract lawsuit against the Department of Forestry. Facebook Share Peter Daugherty, Oregon’s state forester and the leader of the long-struggling Department of Forestry, has submitted his resignation to the state board that oversees the department, effective May 31. Daugherty has led the agency since 2016, and his tenure has been marked by deep financial problems within the department, a dysfunctional relationship with the Board of Forestry and the loss of state lawmakers’ confidence, even as the agency is looking for a massive infusion of new resources to better respond to the state’s increasingly severe wildfire seasons. The Oregonian/OregonLive in recent years documented many of the agency’s troubles in its Failing Forestry series.