Laura H. Thielen has a new job, and it's quite a job: heading the enormous state Department of Land and Natural Resources.

That's been an agency at the center of political tempests, some of them simmering for years. It's doubtful that any person — least of all someone who is guaranteed the position only until the end of Gov. Linda Lingle's term — could clean house singlehandedly.

But there's hope in Lingle's appointment of Thielen, who today officially takes over the helm at DLNR. Previously the executive director of the state Office of Planning, Thielen's appointment is subject to confirmation by the state Senate in January.

The planning office deals with management of resources through long-range planning, which provides some valuable perspective for Thielen. But the DLNR job primarily involves more immediate conflicts in the use of those resources, which is what makes it a difficult balancing act.

Thielen's experience in land use and environmental law should help her navigate through many of the issues. But the primary challenge of this position is less the subject matter than the dynamics of a state department that needs some streamlining.

This does not come as a shock to Thielen, of course, who has noted the lingering problems with one office now under her supervision, the troubled Bureau of Conveyances. Allegations of impropriety and mismanagement at the bureau plagued her predecessor, Peter Young, even though many of those problems predated his tenure.

Thielen should consider whether the bureau would function better as a part of another agency, such as the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs.

The start of her tenure is a good time for the administration to take a hard look at all the tasks now within the purview of DLNR — including the dysfunctional State Historic Preservation Division. Finding the staff and leadership capable of bringing that office up to speed should rank high on the to-do list.

Thielen certainly has her work cut out for her. The department is the steward of Hawai'i's precious natural resources. It's time to enable this key agency to function effectively.