USFS headquarters to relocate out West
On March 31, the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) announced it will relocate its national headquarters from Washington, D.C. to Salt Lake City as part of a sweeping reorganization aimed at bringing decision-makers closer to the lands and communities they manage.
Since the majority of USFS lands – roughly 193 million acres – are located west of the Mississippi River, federal officials say the move reflects a “practical shift and commonsense approach” to improve the agency’s overall mission.
“President Donald Trump has made it a priority to return commonsense to the way our government works. Moving USFS closer to the forests we manage is an essential action which will improve our core mission of managing forests while saving taxpayer dollars and boosting employee recruitment,” says U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins in the corresponding news release.
“Establishing a western headquarters in Salt Lake City and streamlining how USFS is organized will position the chief and operation leaders closer to the landscapes we manage and the people who depend on them,” she adds.
Logistics and restructuring
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), the relocation is expected to be completed by the summer of 2027 and will involve approximately 260 positions moving away from Washington, D.C., while about 130 employees remain in the capital.
As part of a broader restructuring initiative, USFS also announced it plans to shift away from its current regional structure to a state-based organizational model, in which the agency will establish 15 state offices, each led by a state director who is responsible for overseeing operations, partnerships and priorities within the assigned area.
A Northern Plains State Office will be erected in Cheyenne to serve Wyoming, North Dakota, South Dakota and Nebraska.
Regional offices will be phased out and functions will shift to a network of operational service centers located in Albuquerque, N.M.; Athens, Ga.; Fort Collins, Colo.; Madison, Wis.; Missoula, Mont. and Placerville, Calif.
Additional service center locations may be added as the transition progresses.
“Locations were selected based on existing USDA workforce and infrastructure presence, operational needs and efficiency and proximity to agricultural and natural resource stakeholders,” notes the USDA press release. “Together, these centers will provide shared administrative, technical and enabling support to forests and state offices nationwide, allowing field leadership to focus more directly on actions to improve the health, productivity and resilience of our nation’s forests.”
“This approach is intended to simplify the chain of command, strengthen local partnerships and give field leaders greater ability to respond to conditions on the ground,” USDA adds.
The agency’s reorganization also includes consolidating research operations into a single national program based in Fort Collins, Colo.
Currently, USFS operates multiple research stations across the country with separate leadership structures, but federal officials believe combining the programs will reduce administrative duplication and improve the application of science to land management decisions.
Despite these big changes, USDA emphasizes wildfire response and frontline operations will remain unchanged.
The USFS Fire and Aviation Management program will continue operating under its existing system, with no changes made for firefighters or aviation resources.
Agency officials also confirmed local forest and district offices, including those in Wyoming, are not expected to see immediate staffing changes as a result of the reorganization.
Support and criticism
Like most decisions made at the federal level, the USFS’s announcement to relocate its headquarters has been met with a mix of support and criticism.
Opponents argue restructuring the agency could disrupt operations during a period of increasing wildfire risk and environmental stress across the West.
Some also raise concerns about possible staffing reductions, pointing to a similar relocation of the Bureau of Land Management during President Trump’s first term which resulted in high employee turnover.
Others, however, see the move as a long-overdue shift to align leadership with the communities and lands it manages, while potentially improving communication and responsiveness from agency leadership.
“This is a big win for Utah and the West,” states Utah Gov. Spencer Cox. “Nearly 90 percent of USFS lands are west of the Mississippi, so putting leadership closer to the lands they manage just makes sense.”
“This isn’t symbolic,” he adds. “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 USFS do its job more effectively. I appreciate Trump, Rollins and Deputy Secretary of Agriculture Alexander Vaden for taking this step. We look forward to welcoming Chief Tom Schultz and the dedicated men and women of the USFS to Utah.”
Gov. Mark Gordon comments, “I’m pleased by the decision made by the USDA to relocate USFS headquarters to Salt Lake City. I look forward to and have worked for the enhanced on-the-ground management of our forest resources in Wyoming that this decision will likely bring, which I believe is essential to overall management. The move is anticipated to provide more localized support, better and quicker management opportunities and a deeper federal understanding of western states’ specific needs.”
He continues, “I am optimistic about the opportunities this new organizational approach will bring Wyoming and the cooperative management of our state’s natural resources. Vital areas such as timber, energy development, wildlife and habitat, recreation and livestock grazing all stand to benefit from management closer to the forests they serve.”
Hannah Bugas is the managing editor of the Wyoming Livestock Roundup. Send comments on this article to roundup@wylr.net.
