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4w ago

Forest Service Moves Headquarters to Salt Lake City in Major Reorganization

The plan shifts decision-making closer to Western forests to speed on-the-ground work.

FILE - A person walks along a dirt road in Deschutes National Forest, May 1, 2025, near Bend, Ore. (AP Photo/Jenny Kane, File)
Best fall foliage road trip: Lead Hill to Hot Springs, Arkansas. Route: Arkansas State Highway 7 (179 miles). I’d normally select New England for autumn’s most kaleidoscopic colors, but even its most out-of-the-way back roads can be congested during peak periods. Instead, drive along Arkansas’ first state-designated scenic byway to Ozark National Forest, which has 42 different species of oak trees, plus hickories, maples, beech and ash, among others. Such a vast variety of trees results in unimaginable colors painting the region’s low river valleys and hillsides. If you get an early enough start, have breakfast or lunch at Cliff House Inn and Restaurant overlooking Arkansas’ version of the Grand Canyon, in the town of Jasper.
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President Donald Trump listens to Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins speak during an event with farmers on the South Lawn of the White House, Friday, March 27, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)

Overview

  • The Agriculture Department, which announced the overhaul Tuesday, will relocate the Forest Service’s national headquarters to Salt Lake City and shift the agency to a new state-based structure.
  • The agency will close nine regional offices and install 15 state directors, with support service centers in Albuquerque, Athens, Fort Collins, Madison, Missoula, and Placerville.
  • Research leadership will be centralized in Fort Collins, and the agency says scattered labs will be consolidated, with the Associated Press reporting changes or closures in 31 states.
  • The agency set a goal of summer 2027 for completion, expects about 260 Washington jobs to move with roughly 130 staying, and says frontline firefighting operations will not change.
  • Western governors praised the shift, while conservation groups and retirees warned of staff losses and weaker oversight, pointing to USDA data showing 82% of public comments were negative and to the BLM’s 2019 relocation that saw many employees leave.