Forest Service Reorg - Progress or Politics

[PapaSmurf]

I don’t pretend to have the answers. Maybe you do.

I would try to move more decision making power back down to the forest and district levels. I would uncombine all the districts and forests that have been combined over the past few decades. I would push for better pay in order to attract a more motivated workforce. I would push to repeal and rewrite the endangered species act in a way where it can be used in a constructive manner, rather than just being used as a weapon by environmental groups that make a living suing the government. I would search for ways for the agency to generate funds so it would be less of a tax burden on the public.

 

[SAJ-99]

I would try to move more decision making power back down to the forest and district levels. I would uncombine all the districts and forests that have been combined over the past few decades. I would push for better pay in order to attract a more motivated workforce. I would push to repeal and rewrite the endangered species act in a way where it can be used in a constructive manner, rather than just being used as a weapon by environmental groups that make a living suing the government. I would search for ways for the agency to generate funds so it would be less of a tax burden on the public.

The eventual move is to privatize all these functions across all these federal agencies. 2027 Budget request below. The fire management dominates the funding obligation. Probably easiest to transfer that $5b to private contractors in the name of “efficiency”. Capitalism baby!

 

[Jules Winnfield]

A big issue is this plan also shutters 50+ research stations in 31 states, risking the dismantling of decades of localized research and data. But hey, if we know one thing is this admin is all about science, the people and doing what is right for the long term....oh wait.....

 

[Nostromo]

There is significantly more acreage in the west though, right? So extending your concern to its logical conclusion would seem to support this move.

(I was happy to see a planned regional headquarters listed for Madison, WI.)

But how many states and national forests is that covering? And what about all of the on going research being conducted out of the various offices including my home state of Michigan? We have some large national forests ourselves and a fair few serious issues for flora and fauna.

This move is more about isolating the NFS for the representatives in Washington. IMHO.

 

[SAJ-99]

Decent article below with comments from retired employees. Some of the comments from them and other employees have me thinking Stockholm Syndrome has taken full effect.

Forest Service organizational shake-up designed to get more money and ...

From the ground up

www.lmtribune.com

 

[El Jason]

“I think it pushes the decision-making space back down toward the ground and I think that is a really positive thing,” said Caswell, who bases his support on the assumption that state directors will be chosen from within the ranks of the Forest Service and won’t be political appointees.

I hope this optimism proves true.

“What we really need to do is get back to that focus on accomplishing work on the ground. It’s not about how good our analysis is. It’s not about whatever,” she said. “It’s getting back to getting work on the ground whether it’s trail work, watershed restoration, timber management, whatever it is, getting that work done on the ground needs to be a priority.”

Which of course, takes money and bodies. Maybe if Congress would FUND the work? And maybe we shouldn’t have canned all those employees a year ago?

 

[TheTone]

I hope this optimism proves true.

Which of course, takes money and bodies. Maybe if Congress would FUND the work? And maybe we shouldn’t have canned all those employees a year ago?

And how do you even recruit new people to want to do the work? If you were a college student or young professional do you really want to go work for agencies that are constantly being hamstrung by congress? Or the way the rhetoric is that if you work for the government you’re lazy, inept, wasteful, etc. I could no doubt go to my closest town that has a district office and probably find locals complaining about the FS office and employees but telling you what a great guy the local thief meth head is

 

[SAJ-99]

Good article that sprinkles in some of the problems facing the timber industry that highlights how making an impact on the ground will be hard.

The surprising truth about logging

The reality behind Trump’s push to log more public forests is weirdly complicated.

www.vox.com

 

[2rocky]

One thing about having regions is it was a clear delineation from the State level of authority. I hope making state level offices doesn't make decision making more complicated and end up being State Policy by proxy.

In practice that would be defunding the federal office and the state agency picks up the slack. Not a problem where commercial interests are still represented in some states as a necessary part of the economy but a little scarier for states with large urban populations that manage by referendum and lawsuits.

I think the state based regions will stifle staff movement between regions and planning and decision making will be more siloed.

State borders were not made with resource management in mind.

 

[Treeshark]

State borders were not made with resource management in mind.

Including wildlife resource management?

 

[BuzzH]

Including wildlife resource management?

Depends on the classification of wildlife.

 

[Treeshark]

Depends on the classification of wildlife.

It most certainly does.

 

[Forkyfinder]

Including wildlife resource management?

No they werent drawn for that in mind.

Ive still yet to see/read your wet dream of what this all should look like. For all the mental gymnastics you post about it - id really like to hear the treecarp king for a day perspective.

 

[Treeshark]

For all the mental gymnastics you post about it - id really like to hear the treecarp king for a day perspective.

If you create a new thread outlining your full, all-encompassing national plan for game management, I will participate. Such discussion would certainly derail this important thread.

But I bet you could guess my first Royal Decree. Let it be written… let it be done!

 

[Jules Winnfield]

Here is another gem we get to consider:

The Trump administration's proposed 2027 budget includes a $10 billion "Presidential Capital Stewardship Program" for D.C. beautification and construction, while simultaneously slashing National Park Service (NPS) funding by roughly 25% and cutting over $200 million in staffing. This proposal includes dismantling U.S. Forest Service research and reducing wildfire management capacity.
D.C. Beautification ($10B): The funds would be used for Washington, D.C. federal building improvements, parks, and projects in time for the nation's 250th birthday.

This is not a R or D issue, this is a fundamental attack on our collective parks, public lands and the support for them.
So instead of systematically improving, sustaining and fixing things across the entire country, we get to see this wannabe king baby put up arches and gold plate everything around him in DC. Got it....

Randy's first point on this is unfortunately far too accurate and the long-play the anti-public land cartel is pushing - remove all tools and money to help improve things, show everyone how broken and ineffective it is, then privatize it for a select few to get even richer. It is infuriating. My Irish side is wanting to resurrect the IRA for a while.......

 

[BuzzH]

Back on track...

Seems the administration is violating the law with the "reorg"...

PL 119-74, Div. C, Title V, Sec. 505 (Consolidated Appropriations of the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2026)

SEC. 505. (a) None of the funds provided under this Act, or provided under previous appropriations Acts to the agencies funded by this Act that remain available for obligation or expenditure in fiscal year 2026, or provided from any accounts in the Treasury of the United States derived by the collection of fees available to the agencies funded by this Act, shall be available for obligation or expenditure through a reprogramming of funds that: (1) creates or initiates a new program, project, or activity; (2) eliminates a program, project, or activity; (3) increases funds or personnel by any means for any project or activity for which funds have been denied or restricted; (4) relocates an office or employees; (5) reorganizes or renames offices, programs, or activities; (6) contracts out or privatizes any functions or activities presently performed by Federal employees; (7) augments existing programs, projects, or activities in excess of $500,000 or 5 percent, whichever is less, or reduces by 5 percent funding for any program, project, or activity, or numbers of personnel by 5 percent; (8) results from any general savings, including savings from a reduction in personnel, which would result in a change in existing programs, projects, or activities as approved by Congress; unless the House and Senate Committees on Appropriations are notified 30 days in advance of such reprogramming of funds.

 

[Forkyfinder]

If you create a new thread outlining your full, all-encompassing national plan for game management, I will participate. Such discussion would certainly derail this important thread.

But I bet you could guess my first Royal Decree. Let it be written… let it be done!

No thats my point.

You start a thread.