Full Breakdown
U.S. Forest Service Closes 23 Research Stations Amid Cost-Cutting Reorganization
9/5/2026, 12:28:22 AM
Core Event
The U.S. Forest Service announced the closure of 23 research stations in more than a dozen states. The facilities were identified as having “little to no staffing,” and the agency will reassign the 95 employees to other sites within a 49-mile commuting radius. The move is part of a broader restructuring that also includes consolidating regional offices and relocating the agency’s headquarters from Washington, D.C., to Salt Lake City.
Background & Context
The restructuring plan was first unveiled in March after the Service reviewed 64 research and development sites. Earlier this year the agency indicated that an additional 41 facilities under review would remain open after pressure from local officials and members of Congress. The reorganization follows a pattern of federal land-management changes initiated during the Trump administration, which previously moved the Bureau of Land Management’s headquarters to Colorado and reduced staff across natural-resource agencies.
Data & Statistics
- Facilities: 23 research stations slated for closure; 41 other sites will stay open.
- Staffing: 95 workers at the closing stations will be reassigned; the Service has lost roughly 6,000 employees—about 15% of its workforce—during the second term of the Trump administration, and about 16% of its workforce in 2025.
- Financial Savings: The Service estimates annual lease savings of $8.8 million and deferred-maintenance savings of more than $8 million, contributing to a total projected savings of about $16 million when combined with other facility consolidations.
- Headquarters Relocation: The move to Salt Lake City will shift 260 jobs from Washington, D.C., to the new location.
Official Statements & Responses
Associate Chief Chris French told reporters the primary objective is to bring facility costs under control and that no ongoing science activities or experimental forests will be shut down. Communications Director Chad Douglas confirmed that the 95 employees will be relocated to other sites within their commuting areas. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said the headquarters move, expected to be completed by next summer, will place agency leaders closer to the landscapes they manage and the communities that depend on them. Kevin Hood, executive director of Forest Service Employees for Environmental Ethics, warned that dissolving regional headquarters could reduce public access to forests and weaken federal oversight of national forests.
Verbatim Quotes
- “Our primary goal was to get our facilities costs under control,” — Chris French, service associate chief
- “The people in charge again have shown that they act without comprehension of the consequences,” — University of Washington fire ecologist Don McKenzie
What's Next
The Forest Service indicated that the consolidation of facilities is not yet complete and that additional sites remain under evaluation. The agency plans to finalize the headquarters relocation to Salt Lake City by the summer following the announcement.
