this trump card The U.S. government has announced a sweeping reorganization of the U.S. Forest Service, moving its headquarters from Washington, D.C., to Salt Lake City, Utah, and closing 57 of its 77 research facilities across 31 states. The government calls it restructuring. Critics call it something far more serious.
What administration is doing?
According to the Associated PressAccording to reports, the USDA Forest Service will move its headquarters to Salt Lake City, and the transfer is expected to be completed in the summer of 2027. About 260 jobs in Washington state will be relocated, while about 130 employees will remain.
At the same time, the agency will close 57 research facilities and close all nine regional offices. Its research efforts will be concentrated in a main office in Fort Collins, Colorado.
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Why are critics worried?
Environmental groups and scientists are concerned about the plan, largely because of previous incidents with the Bureau of Land Management (BLM).
During Trump’s first term, BLM was moved to Colorado for similar reasons. according to new york timesAfter the relocation, more than 87% of employees left, resulting in a large loss of experienced employees. The Biden administration later moved the office back, but much of the experience has been lost.
Now, critics fear the same thing will happen to the Forest Service. Some anonymous scientists said many employees may leave rather than relocate. One senior scientist said the agency has yet to clearly explain whether their research will continue to be funded, making it difficult to decide whether to stay or leave.
The Forest Service has lost nearly 6,000 employees in early 2025 due to layoffs and early retirements. Critics say more relocations could further weaken the agency.
The Wilderness Society also warned the move could repeat the same problems and lead to a loss of experienced workers.
Worried about impact on forest research
Critics say the closure of 57 research facilities could harm important long-term research. Many of these sites are located in university or experimental forests, where scientists have tracked wildfires, droughts, climate change, endangered species and forest recovery over years. Losing them could mean losing valuable data.
“This move will lead to a growing divide between sound science and land management,” Kevin Hood said, according to the New York Times.
One researcher added, “These people have done amazing work for decades on everything from acid rain to climate change, and they’ve put it into a new bin called ‘forest management,'”
With the U.S. West already facing extreme heat, drought and wildfire risks, Josh Hicks told The Associated Press: “At a time when wildfires are becoming more severe and access to public lands is already under pressure, the last thing we need is unnecessary reorganization that will cause confusion and confusion for land managers, researchers and wildland firefighters who help keep our forests healthy now and for generations to come.”
The Trump administration says this is a reorganization, and Forest Service leaders say the agency’s work will continue. They also confirmed fire crews would not be affected.
The government says the goal is efficiency, but critics say the impact on national forests is likely to be the same whether it’s realignment or demolition.
