In a move that the U.S. Department of Agriculture terms “a common-sense approach to improve mission delivery,” the U.S. Forest Service will move its national headquarters from Washington, D.C., to Salt Lake City, the agency announced last week.
United States Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins said the move coincides with the beginning of a sweeping restructuring of the Forest Service, whose lands, partners and operational challenges are overwhelmingly concentrated in the West, in an effort to move leadership closer to the forests and communities it serves.
Rollins said the overhaul, which is expected to be complete by mid-2027, will include shutting down research facilities in 31 states and concentrating efforts and resources in the West. About 260 Forest Service positions currently housed in Washington are expected to be moved to Salt Lake City, while 130 workers will stay in the nation’s capital, according to Rollins.
Most of the land that the agency oversees — almost 90 percent — is in the West. Utah ranks No. 11 for the amount of Forest Service coverage, with approximately 14,300 square miles.
President Donald Trump made a similar move with the headquarters of the Bureau of Land Management during his first term. The administration moved the BLM base to Colorado, only to have the President Joe Biden move it back to Washington, D.C., early in his White House tenure.
Since Trump was elected, the Department of Agriculture has moved thousands of its employees out of Washington and eliminated redundant management as part of Trump’s push to make federal government more efficient.
“President Trump has made it a priority to return common sense to the way our government works,” said Rollins. “Moving the Forest Service closer to the forests we manage is an essential action that will improve our core mission of managing our forests while saving taxpayer dollars and boosting employee recruitment. Establishing a western headquarters in Salt Lake City and streamlining how the Forest Service is organized will position the chief and operation leaders closer to the landscapes we manage and the people who depend on them.”
Along with the relocation of its headquarters, the Forest Service will begin transitioning to a state-based organizational model designed to shift authority closer to the field by organizing leadership around state-level accountability, supported by shared operational service centers and a unified national research enterprise, according to the announcement about the move.
Under the new model, 15 state directors will be distributed throughout the country to oversee Forest Service operations within one or more states. State directors will serve as national leaders with primary oversight of forest supervisors, operational priorities and relationships with states, tribes and other partners. Each state office will include a small leadership support team responsible for functions such as legislative affairs, communications and intergovernmental coordination.
A state director based in Salt Lake City — likely housed in the same office as the national headquarters — will oversee agency operations in Utah and Nevada. A state office in Fort Collins, Colorado, will manage Colorado and Kansas. Neighboring states Arizona, Idaho and Montana will have single-state control while the Northern Plains States office in Cheyenne, Wyoming, will oversee Wyoming, North Dakota, South Dakota and Nebraska. This approach is intended to simplify the chain of command, strengthen local partnerships and give field leaders greater ability to respond to conditions on the ground.
“This includes supporting our timber growers across the country, including those in the Southeast, by prioritizing a regional office and promoting policies that boost timber production, lowering costs for consumers,” Rollins continued. “In the past year, we have returned the Forest Service to the leading forestry and fire management organization in the world. Proper forest management means a healthy and productive forest system that provides affordable, quality lumber to build homes right here in America and it means preserving and protecting the beautiful landscapes we are blessed with across this great country.”
“This is a big win for Utah and the West,” said Utah Gov. Spencer Cox. “Nearly 90 percent of Forest Service lands are west of the Mississippi, so putting leadership closer to the lands they manage just makes sense.
“This isn’t symbolic. It means better, faster decisions on the ground. Everyone who depends on our public lands, from hikers and campers to ranchers and timber producers, will benefit from this change. Moving away from a regional model to a more state-focused approach strengthens federalism and helps the Forest Service do its job more effectively.”
“This is about building a Forest Service that is nimble, efficient, effective and closer to the forests and communities it serves,” said Forest Service Chief Tom Schultz. “Effective stewardship and active management are achieved on the ground, where forests and communities are found — not just behind a desk in the capital. Through this transition, we will strengthen our connection to the forests and the people who depend on them, while supporting our employees and honoring the dedication that has always defined our service. I’m honored to help guide this new chapter for the Forest Service, following the vision set forth by President Theodore Roosevelt and Gifford Pinchot more than a century ago.”
As the agency transitions to the state-based model, the Forest Service will shift many functions currently housed in regional offices to a network of operational service centers that will be established in Albuquerque, New Mexico; Athens, Georgia; Fort Collins, Colorado; Madison, Wisconsin; Missoula, Montana; and Placerville, California. Additional service center locations may be added as the transition progresses.