U.S. Forest Service to Close 23 Research Stations, Shift Headquarters to Salt Lake City
Quick Look
The U.S. Forest Service is closing 23 research stations across over a dozen states to reduce costs, with 95 workers reassigned and headquarters moving from Washington to Salt Lake City, saving about $16 million; conservation groups warn the changes could harm forest access and ecosystems.
AI-generated summary
Why It Matters
The U.S. Forest Service is undergoing reorganization under the Trump administration to reduce costs and shift focus to Western states, following a pattern of relocating federal agencies closer to public lands.
The U.S. Forest Service is closing 23 research stations across more than a dozen states as President Donald Trump looks to trim expenses and focus resources in Western states, officials said Thursday.
Work underway at the sites will move to other locations, Forest Service Associate Chief Chris French said in an interview. Another 41 facilities facing potential closure will stay open after members of Congress and local leaders raised concerns about the reorganization announced in March.
"Our primary goal was to get our facilities costs under control," French told The Associated Press. "We’re not closing any ongoing science activities. We’re not closing any of the experimental forests that are important to our researchers."
The 95 workers at the stations being closed will be reassigned elsewhere, Forest Service Communications Director Chad Douglas said. Officials noted the closures, combined with previously announced plans to shut regional offices in Atlanta, Milwaukee and Portland, will save about $16 million.
The restructuring also involves transferring agency headquarters from Washington to Salt Lake City. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said the relocation, slated for completion by next summer, will put leadership nearer to managed landscapes and dependent communities.
Conservation groups criticized the overhaul, warning it could restrict forest access and jeopardize wildlife habitats, clean air, and water.
Federal data indicates the Forest Service has lost roughly 6,000 workers—about 15% of its staff—during Trump’s second term amid broader cuts by the Republican administration to natural resource agencies.
In his first term, Trump moved the Bureau of Land Management to Colorado for similar reasons, wanting top officials closer to public lands. Former President Joe Biden’s administration later reversed the change, bringing the headquarters back to Washington after two years.
What to Watch
AI outlook — possibilities, not facts
The Forest Service will complete the relocation of its headquarters to Salt Lake City by next summer.
Very likely · Within months
Open Questions
- Which specific research stations are being closed?
- What criteria were used to select the 23 stations for closure versus the 41 that remain open?
- How will the reassignment of 95 workers affect ongoing research projects?
