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Forest Service closing 23 research sites

The overhaul will save about $16 million and relocate 95 employees as conservation groups warn of reduced access to forests and wildlife habitat.

  • On Thursday, the U.S. Forest Service announced the closure of 23 research stations across more than a dozen states as part of an organizational overhaul under President Donald Trump intended to concentrate agency resources in Western states.
  • Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said the agency will relocate its headquarters from Washington to Salt Lake City, a move expected to trim costs while bringing leadership closer to managed landscapes.
  • Forest Service Associate Chief Chris French confirmed 95 employees will be relocated to other sites, while an additional 41 research facilities remain open after local officials and Congress raised concerns about the reorganization.
  • Federal data shows the Forest Service has lost about 6,000 employees, or about 15% of its workforce, during Trump's second term as part of the Republican administration's broader cuts to natural resource agencies.
  • Conservation groups warned the changes could threaten wildlife habitats, while the move mirrors the Bureau of Land Management's relocation to Colorado during Trump's first term—a decision Former President Joe Biden reversed after two years.
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Spectrum Local News broke the news in United States on Thursday, September 3, 2026.
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