Forest Service under threat?

[Conrad101st]

Trump Administration Orders Dismantling of the US Forest Service - WhoWhatWhy

The headquarters is going to Utah. Every regional office is being shuttered. The research program is being destroyed.

whowhatwhy.org

 

[BrayAppa]

Hope the swelling public and corporate opposition stalls this enough to minimize damage to the forests. Hunting access will be reduced by this illegal privatization

 

[RockAndSage]

Moving agencies out of DC to the maximum degree possible, and closest to the realities they control, is one of the wisest things that can be done for the fate of our nation. The less revolving-doors those people have access to, the more focused they will be on the actual mission of the institutions they seek to serve. They will become more self-selecting for mission, rather than self-serving.

This says everything anyone needs to know about whether people in DC are dedicated to mission or dedicated to being part of the leftist DC swamp:


"Of 328 BLM positions ordered to relocate, 287 employees left the agency. Only 41 moved at all — scattered across various western offices. And only three — three human beings — actually relocated to the new “headquarters” in Grand Junction, CO. The agency lost 87 percent of its Washington-based workforce."

 

[BrayAppa]

Moving agencies out of DC to the maximum degree possible, and closest to the realities they control, is one of the wisest things that can be done for the fate of our nation. The less revolving-doors those people have access to, the more focused they will be on the actual mission of the institutions they seek to serve. They will become more self-selecting for mission, rather than self-serving.

This says everything anyone needs to know about whether people in DC are dedicated to mission or dedicated to being part of the leftist DC swamp:


"Of 328 BLM positions ordered to relocate, 287 employees left the agency. Only 41 moved at all — scattered across various western offices. And only three — three human beings — actually relocated to the new “headquarters” in Grand Junction, CO. The agency lost 87 percent of its Washington-based workforce."

Most people can’t get up and move on a whim, regardless of their profession. They have mortgages, families, community ties, etc. Forest service workers, BLM types aren’t rolling in dough, they're middle class folks at best, nobody goes into that work to get rich.

I’d agree with you if offices were being moved closer to the forests they were regulating. Instead loads of regional offices are being shuttered which puts the regulatory offices farther away from the places they are ostensibly regulating.

 

[Pony Soldier]

Think of it as a reset. The agency has been a mess since the 70s. Step by step getting worse. Maybe this will either fully break it or start the recovery. We can only hope for the best.

 

[mt terry d]

Maybe this will either fully break it or start the recovery. We can only hope for the best.

It's government, so the best would be for it to break.
But, since it's government, government will declare it "too big to fail"
Funny how that works.

 

[solarshooter]

And who do you think is going to step in once it's broken? The people who think this was done for their benefit or the benefit of the wild lands are completely brainwashed. This is a blatant sellout to private interests. There have already been major resource extraction contracts handed out on these lands. If you hunt, fish, or recreate outdoors this is terrible for you and your progeny.

 

[Ozarkansas]

I saw a post by the forest service that stated that all district offices would remain open. That was one of my main concerns with this move, since I feared that they were consolidating everything at the “state” level.

My other concern is the loss of research facilities, since Colorado isn’t a good place to do research on the PNW, Ozark, or Deep South forests. I’m waiting to hear any good news on that front.

 

[SteveAndTheCrigBoys]

B

Thread 'Forest Service HQ Move'

Apr 1, 2026

Trump plans to move Forest Service headquarters to Utah and shutter research sites

The Trump administration says it will be moving U.S. Forest Service headquarters from the nation's capital to Utah as part of a broad overhaul.

apnews.com

HQ of USFS moving from DC to SLC. Thoughts?

I don't like that Utah is the home state of Mike Lee who hopefully will not return to the senate after 2028. Otherwise it seems to make sense, and get it away from the kinds of career bureaucratic culture that has stagnated DC.

• BuckSmasher
• Replies: 128
• Forum: General Discussion Forum

• 

 

[Chris in TN]

I'm not convinced this is a bad thing, at all.

Anything that can be done to gut the power structure in/around Washington DC is overall going to be good for the nation. But whether it's good for the USFS in particular, is a different question. I'll just say that USFS isn't at the top of my list of federal entities that need a trim. But all of them could use some, uh, streamlining.

ETA: But, also, I don't trust Mike Lee at all. I basically hold the two-edged sword position, I dislike a ton of what's done with our public lands system but shifting public lands to state/private control seems worse, to me, than any existing problem.

 

[mt terry d]

And who do you think is going to step in once it's broken?

They spent almost $11 Billion in '24 so say we give a private forest management company about half that and see what results they can come up with in a couple years. If they're no better we fire them and try another company.

The people who think this was done for their benefit or the benefit of the wild lands are completely brainwashed. This is a blatant sellout to private interests. There have already been major resource extraction contracts handed out on these lands. If you hunt, fish, or recreate outdoors this is terrible for you and your progeny.

I think this move is for the benefit of government and it's greatest bribe, er donors., ; and primarily optics.

Government is the worst (and most expensive) answer to any problem. Always.

 

[solarshooter]

They spent almost $11 Billion in '24 so say we give a private forest management company about half that and see what results they can come up with in a couple years.

11 billion is under 1% of the federal budget. It does not make any difference to the overall state of the budget if you save 50% on this or not. And as I understand it there is not a transfer of management to private companies, it's just a complete gutting of the agency responsible for management. The result is there will be no one to protect, maintain, or enforce laws on these lands.

And you are leaving out other important actions happening in concert, like this:

https://www.usda.gov/about-usda/news/press-releases/2025/06/23/secretary-rollins-rescinds-roadless-rule-eliminating-impediment-responsible-forest-management

And this:

https://www.usda.gov/about-usda/news/press-releases/2025/05/29/usda-invests-200m-expand-timber-production-strengthen-rural-economies-secure-american-industry

It's a very clear and coordinated effort to strip away federal protections and sell off access to private companies to start resource extraction from some of the best remaining protected wild lands in the country. In Washington State, about 2/3rds of total forest lands is publicly held, vs 1/3rd private. And the private 1/3rd is by far the worst for me, the forest user. Restricted or no access, massive clear cuts, young overgrown forests, trail systems destroyed, etc, etc. I know who the real enemy of my use of outdoor lands is, and it ain't the USFS.

Government is the worst (and most expensive) answer to any problem. Always.

This statement is provably false, but based on the rest of your comment I'm guessing any attempt to argue it will be met with some very predictable talking points. So I'll just say, the American Government WAS able to build some incredible things and provide excellent infrastructure and quality of life to millions of people. Corporations, wealthy individuals, and other private interests have BOUGHT our government and rendered it useless, then managed to convince a bunch of people that it's actually an undeniable outcome of government and the private interests should be trusted! Insane.

Meanwhile every other developed country in the world, often with far larger (proportionally) governments than us, are developing by leaps and bounds and leaving us far behind. We are nowhere near the top in any measure of quality of life - health, education, housing, employment, infrastructure. Only GDP, which is a useless metric dominated by - you guessed it - a select few corporations and wealthy individuals.

 

[LCguy]

I said it in the other thread and I'll say it again here. If you think moving the USFS headquarters to the state that is at the center of the anti-public land movement is a coincidence, then we can't have an intelligent discussion on the topic.

 

[mt terry d]

11 billion is under 1% of the federal budget. It does not make any difference to the overall state of the budget if you save 50% on this or not.

I'm only talking about the FS budget. I'm unconcerned with the total federal budget; $40Trillion, $400 Trillion, $4trillion trillion, it's all fake to support the system

the American Government WAS able to build some incredible things and provide excellent infrastructure and quality of life to millions of people

Private enterprise has built some incredible things, too.
That's better than forcibly confiscating money from others to "build" things.
Always better.

Corporations, wealthy individuals, and other private interests have BOUGHT our government and rendered it useless, then managed to convince a bunch of people that it's actually an undeniable outcome of government

You can't BUY something that's not for sale.
American Government is for sale. It's always been that way.
It's the system. It's provable. You said it yourself.

Time to think outside the system (unless your paycheck comes from the system)
or end up with the same results.

 

[Sccritterkiller]

I said it in the other thread and I'll say it again here. If you think moving the USFS headquarters to the state that is at the center of the anti-public land movement is a coincidence, then we can't have an intelligent discussion on the topic.

Refusing to discuss the topic because you don't like the proposed location sounds intelligent to me.

 

[solarshooter]

I'm unconcerned with the total federal budget; $40Trillion, $400 Trillion, $4trillion trillion, it's all fake to support the system

You are complaining about federal spending on USFS and the whole concept of taxes. I don't see how you can claim you're unconcerned about the total federal budget.

You can't BUY something that's not for sale.
American Government is for sale.

This seems nonsensical. Are you saying you agree with me?

Refusing to discuss the topic because you don't like the proposed location sounds intelligent to me.

He's addressing the topic directly. Trumps admin is working actively to destroy federal institutions and protections so that corporations and private industries can loot our public lands. The new headquarters being located in the same state that has repeatedly tried to do this with their own lands is not a coincidence.

 

[IdahoBeav]

Refusing to discuss the topic because you don't like the proposed location sounds intelligent to me.
View attachment 1051735

But Land Tawney said it was bad, and he had this cool Instagram reel about it, and he used swear words, and he photoshopped Mike Lee into a chicken. #muhpubliklayands

 

[KurtR]

11 billion is under 1% of the federal budget. It does not make any difference to the overall state of the budget if you save 50% on this or not. And as I understand it there is not a transfer of management to private companies, it's just a complete gutting of the agency responsible for management. The result is there will be no one to protect, maintain, or enforce laws on these lands.

And you are leaving out other important actions happening in concert, like this:

https://www.usda.gov/about-usda/news/press-releases/2025/06/23/secretary-rollins-rescinds-roadless-rule-eliminating-impediment-responsible-forest-management

And this:

https://www.usda.gov/about-usda/news/press-releases/2025/05/29/usda-invests-200m-expand-timber-production-strengthen-rural-economies-secure-american-industry

It's a very clear and coordinated effort to strip away federal protections and sell off access to private companies to start resource extraction from some of the best remaining protected wild lands in the country. In Washington State, about 2/3rds of total forest lands is publicly held, vs 1/3rd private. And the private 1/3rd is by far the worst for me, the forest user. Restricted or no access, massive clear cuts, young overgrown forests, trail systems destroyed, etc, etc. I know who the real enemy of my use of outdoor lands is, and it ain't the USFS.


This statement is provably false, but based on the rest of your comment I'm guessing any attempt to argue it will be met with some very predictable talking points. So I'll just say, the American Government WAS able to build some incredible things and provide excellent infrastructure and quality of life to millions of people. Corporations, wealthy individuals, and other private interests have BOUGHT our government and rendered it useless, then managed to convince a bunch of people that it's actually an undeniable outcome of government and the private interests should be trusted! Insane.

Meanwhile every other developed country in the world, often with far larger (proportionally) governments than us, are developing by leaps and bounds and leaving us far behind. We are nowhere near the top in any measure of quality of life - health, education, housing, employment, infrastructure. Only GDP, which is a useless metric dominated by - you guessed it - a select few corporations and wealthy individuals.

What country would you rather live in?

 

[Sccritterkiller]

But Land Tawney said it was bad, and he had this cool Instagram reel about it, and he used swear words, and he photoshopped Mike Lee into a chicken. #muhpubliklayands

Right...there are at least 4 other goverment agencies that study wildfires besides USFS, but the sky is falling in because the USFS wildfire research center is going to close....smh

 

[Wrench]

When the forest circus can have two adjoining ranger districts with nearly identical terrain and resources yet have VASTLY different rules and regulations based on politics....it's broken and time for a reset. Take any forest service land in Washington and compare it to it's neighbors in Idaho. Look at road maintenance, land access, animal numbers and quality and amounts of logged land.

Idaho logs more, has more animals and better access. Washington has timber so thick a dog has to back up to bark and sunlight hasn't touched the barren land under the trees in 50 years. The management sucks and needs overhauled.....badly. it's only good if you like fighting fires.