US Forest Service is closing 23 research stations in more than a dozen states in latest Trump overhaul

US Forest Service is closing 23 research stations in more than a dozen states in latest Trump overhaul An additional 41 research facilities that faced possible closure will remain open after local officials and members of Congress raised concerns about the reorganization - Bookmark The U.S. Forest Service is closing 23 research stations across more than a dozen states as President Donald Trump looks to trim expenses and focus resources in Western states, officials said Thursday. Work underway at the sites will move to other locations, Forest Service Associate Chief Chris French said in an interview. Another 41 facilities facing potential closure will stay open after members of Congress and local leaders raised concerns about the reorganization announced in March. "Our primary goal was to get our facilities costs under control," French told The Associated Press. "We’re not closing any ongoing science activities. We’re not closing any of the experimental forests that are important to our researchers." The 95 workers at the stations being closed will be reassigned elsewhere, Forest Service Communications Director Chad Douglas said. Officials noted the closures, combined with previously announced plans to shut regional offices in Atlanta, Milwaukee and Portland, will save about $16 million. The restructuring also involves transferring agency headquarters from Washington to Salt Lake City. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said the relocation, slated for completion by next summer, will put leadership nearer to managed landscapes and dependent communities. Conservation groups criticized the overhaul, warning it could restrict forest access and jeopardize wildlife habitats, clean air, and water. Federal data indicates the Forest Service has lost roughly 6,000 workers—about 15% of its staff—during Trump’s second term amid broader cuts by the Republican administration to natural resource agencies. In his first term, Trump moved the Bureau of Land Management to Colorado for similar reasons, wanting top officials closer to public lands. Former President Joe Biden’s administration later reversed the change, bringing the headquarters back to Washington after two years.