Environment & Climate
US Forest Service to close 23 research facilities in agency reorganization
The agency will relocate 95 workers and consolidate resources in Western states while keeping 41 other sites open.
The short version
- The U.S. Forest Service is closing 23 research facilities across more than a dozen states to reduce operational costs and shift focus toward Western public lands.
- About 95 staff members will be reassigned to other locations, while agency officials insist that active scientific programs and experimental forests will proceed without disruption.
- A broader restructuring also includes shifting the agency headquarters from Washington, D.C., to Salt Lake City by next summer alongside previously announced regional office closures.
- Conservation organizations warn that the downsizing and facility closures could harm wildlife habitats and public forest access.
Key facts
- The U.S. Forest Service will shut down 23 research stations across more than 12 states as part of an administration reorganization.[ABC News · Associated Press]
- The 95 workers stationed at the closing facilities will be relocated to other agency sites.[ABC News · Associated Press]
- Officials estimate that the facility closures, alongside earlier decisions to close regional offices in Atlanta, Milwaukee, and Portland, will yield roughly $16 million in savings.[ABC News · Associated Press]
- Forty-one other research facilities that were originally considered for closure will stay operational after congressional members and local officials expressed concerns.[ABC News · Associated Press]
- The Forest Service's main headquarters is scheduled to relocate from Washington to Salt Lake City by next summer.[ABC News · Associated Press]
- Federal data indicates the Forest Service has seen a workforce reduction of approximately 6,000 employees, or about 15%, during President Trump's second term.[ABC News · Associated Press]
What remains uncertain
- It remains unverified how smoothly active research programs and experimental forest monitoring will transition to new locations without causing research interruptions.[ABC News · Associated Press]