Tell Congress: Don’t let Trump dismantle the Forest Service
- Thu, May 14 2026 at 6:31 PM
As America heads into fire season once again, the Trump Administration is focused on dismantling the Forest Service:
Cuts from DOGE — the so-called “Department of Government Efficiency" that took a hatchet to many important government agencies — and an early retirement program have already driven away nearly one-fifth of Forest Service staff
Trump’s Forest Service Chief, Tom Schultz, has a plan to move the agency’s headquarters from Washington, DC to Salt Lake City
As part of that move, approximately 260 employees are in limbo. They’re being forced to either move across the country or lose their jobs
Meanwhile, Schultz plans to close two-thirds of the Forest Service’s research stations — disrupting long-running experiments and reducing the agency’s ability to collect environmental and climate data
Uprooting the Forest Service and pushing even more dedicated employees out doesn’t help America’s forests or the American people!
The plan to move the Forest Service follows the same pattern we’ve seen time and time again from Trump’s handpicked lackeys:
Tom Schultz appears more concerned with the interests of lobbyists and boosting the profits of the industries they represent than the public or our forests.
Within months of taking office, Schultz began implementing policies that aligned with the timber industry — an industry he used to represent.
And since his plan would reduce the number of staff who could carry out environmental reviews and review proposals for new mining roads, it would clear the way for mining on Forest Service lands, too.
The Forest Service has a responsibility to act as a steward for 900 million acres of forest all across the country. Congress shouldn’t sit on its hands while the agency cuts staff, jeopardizes research, and prioritizes the profits of extractive industries.
Thanks for taking action,
Stephanie
Public Citizen
Comments
Post a Comment