Key facts
- The U.S. Forest Service is closing 23 research stations in more than a dozen states.
- The reorganization is intended to trim costs and concentrate the agency’s resources in Western states.
- Work from the closed stations will continue at other sites.
- Employees at the closing stations will be relocated.
- The agency's headquarters is moving from Washington to Salt Lake City.
The U.S. Forest Service is closing 23 research stations in more than a dozen states as part of an organizational overhaul under President Donald Trump. The move is intended to trim costs and concentrate the agency’s resources in Western states, according to officials.
Forest Service Associate Chief Chris French stated that the work conducted at the affected research stations will continue at other sites. Following concerns raised by local officials and members of Congress, an additional 41 research facilities that were initially considered for closure will remain operational.
French emphasized that the primary goal of the reorganization is to gain control over facility costs without discontinuing ongoing scientific activities or closing experimental forests crucial for researchers. The 95 employees at the stations slated for closure will be relocated to other facilities. These closures, combined with the planned shutdown of regional offices in Atlanta, Milwaukee, and Portland, are expected to save approximately $16 million annually.
The reorganization also includes relocating the agency’s headquarters from Washington to Salt Lake City. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins indicated this move, slated for completion by next summer, aims to place leadership closer to the landscapes they manage and the communities that rely on them.
Conservation groups have voiced criticism, warning that the changes could limit access to forests and negatively impact wildlife habitats, air, and water quality. Federal data indicates the Forest Service has lost about 6,000 employees, or roughly 15% of its workforce, during Trump’s tenure as part of broader cuts to natural resource agencies.