The US Forest Service will relocate its headquarters from Washington, D.C. to Salt Lake City, Utah, as part of a reorganisation that will also close research facilities in 31 states, officials announced on Tuesday.
Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said the move, expected to be completed by summer 2027, aims to bring leaders closer to the lands they manage. Forest Service Chief Tom Schultz stated, “Effective stewardship and active management are achieved on the ground, where forests and communities are found — not just behind a desk in the capital.”
Nearly 90% of National Forest System land is in the West. About 260 Washington-based positions will relocate, with 130 remaining. Deputy Agriculture Secretary Stephen Vaden cited Salt Lake City’s reasonable cost of living, international airport, and “family-focused way of life.”
Utah Governor Spencer Cox, a Republican, called it “a big win for Utah and the West.” Environmental groups criticised the move. Taylor McKinnon of the Center for Biological Diversity described it as “a costly bureaucratic reshuffle” that could increase corporate access to public lands for logging, mining, and drilling.
Josh Hicks of The Wilderness Society warned of reduced access to public forests and threats to wildlife, clean water, and air. The group noted Trump’s earlier relocation of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to Colorado led to staff departures and was later reversed by the Biden administration.
Regional offices will close, with services shifting to hubs in New Mexico, Georgia, Colorado, Wisconsin, Montana, and California. Research will consolidate at a single site in Fort Collins, Colorado. The Forest Service has not specified how many workers might need to relocate or whether layoffs will occur.
