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The media is having a meltdown over the U.S. Forest Service being \u201cexecuted\u201d by the Trump administration \u2014 ignoring the fact that it is just being consolidated and moved from Washington, D.C. to out west, where there are more forests.<\/p>\n
The <\/span>New York Times<\/span><\/i> put out a <\/span>piece<\/span><\/a> claiming that the move, led by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), is \u201cthreatening science\u201d that aims to reduce climate change and the environmental damage caused by wildfires.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Hatch Magazine <\/span>reported<\/span><\/a> that the Trump administration \u201cannounced the most devastating attack on the U.S. Forest Service in the agency\u2019s 121-year history.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cNot a budget cut. Not a policy shift. Not a \u2018reorganization.\u2019 An execution,\u201d the outdoors outlet claimed.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Forest Service headquarters will be moved to Salt Lake City, Utah, and begin a \u201csweeping restructuring of the agency to move leadership closer to the forests and communities it serves,\u201d the USDA said in a March 31 <\/span>press release<\/span><\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n With the bulk of the agency\u2019s 93 million acres of forest and grassland being concentrated in the western U.S., agency officials wrote that the shift in location and reorganization \u201crepresents a structural reset and a common-sense approach to improve mission delivery.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n As part of the consolidation, the USDA announced that all Forest Service regional offices will close; \u201chowever, several facilities will be retained to support ongoing mission needs.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cAdditional phases of the reorganization, including the formal elimination of regional and station office structures and the full transition to a state-based model, will be implemented over the coming year,\u201d the press release explained.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cEstablishing a western headquarters in Salt Lake City and streamlining how the Forest Service is organized will position the Chief and operation leaders closer to the landscapes we manage and the people who depend on them,\u201d said USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins.<\/span><\/p>\n As the agency transitions to a state-based model, it will shift many functions currently housed in regional offices to new service centers that will be established in Albuquerque, New Mexico; Athens, Georgia; Fort Collins, Colorado; Madison, Wisconsin; Missoula, Montana; and Placerville, California. Additional locations may be announced as the transition progresses.<\/span><\/p>\n The agency, which currently operates multiple research stations across the country that all have their own leadership structure, will also \u201cbring those stations together under a single Forest Service research organization\u201d located in Fort Collins.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThe consolidation of research stations does not mean a retreat from the agency\u2019s research mission,\u201d Fire Service Chief Thomas Schultz said in an email to employees. \u201cForest Service [Research and Development] has produced world-class science for over a century, and that will continue. The consolidation is about organizing the research enterprise more efficiently, not diminishing it.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n The move from Washington, D.C. to Salt Lake City would impact about 260 employees, the<\/span> New York Times <\/span><\/i>reported.<\/span><\/p>\n Despite the reassurance from officials, the outlet claimed that employees \u201csaid they feared the move would lead many scientists to leave.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n A senior USDA official told Breitbart News that that could not be further from the truth, arguing that it is \u201ckind of insane to headquarter the Forest Service in D.C. when the forests are out west,\u201d adding that people who want to work for the service \u201cdon\u2019t want to live\u201d in the Beltway.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The official also shot back at claims that the consolidation would negatively impact the environment, calling the reports \u201cpatently false.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re decreasing the number of research stations, but we\u2019re not changing the mission,\u201d they said.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The official also highlighted the Forest Service\u2019s success in bringing down wildfires under the Trump administration, following the Biden administration\u2019s \u201cgross mismanagement\u201d of the Palisades fire.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n As part of the restructuring, 15 regional director positions will be added to the Forest Service. The agency previously did not have regional directors.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The media has \u201cmisconstrued that these are political appointments, but these are career positions,\u201d the official noted.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Utah Gov. Spencer Cox (R) praised the move, calling it \u201ca big win for Utah and the West.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cNearly 90 percent of Forest Service lands are west of the Mississippi, so putting leadership closer to the lands they manage just makes sense,\u201d he continued. \u201cThis isn\u2019t symbolic. It means better, faster decisions on the ground. Everyone who depends on our public lands, from hikers and campers to ranchers and timber producers, will benefit from this change. Moving away from a regional model to a more state-focused approach strengthens federalism and helps the Forest Service do its job more effectively.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n The governor added, \u201cI appreciate President Trump, Secretary Rollins, and Deputy Secretary Vaden for taking this step. We look forward to welcoming Chief Schultz and the dedicated men and women of the Forest Service to Utah.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Olivia Rondeau is a politics reporter for Breitbart News based in Washington, DC. Find her on <\/i>X\/Twitter<\/i><\/span><\/a> and <\/i>Instagram<\/i><\/span><\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n