The U.S. Department of Agriculture has announced a controversial restructuring plan that involves closing all nine regional Forest Service offices nationwide, including the Region 6 headquarters based in Portland, Oregon.
According to a memo dated July 24 from Brooke Rollins, head of the USDA, the agency’s functions will be relocated to five new ‘hub locations’ over the upcoming year.
These hubs include Fort Collins, Colorado; Indianapolis; Kansas City, Missouri; Raleigh, North Carolina; and Salt Lake City.
The restructuring plan also calls for the consolidation of the Pacific Northwest Research Station, which has operated for over a century in Portland, along with six other research stations across the country.
Their functions will move to the new USDA hub located in Fort Collins, as indicated in the memo.
Rollins acknowledged that the implementation process would consider the ongoing fire season, emphasizing the urgency and complexity of the transition.
The exact number of employees involved in the Forest Service Northwest Region Headquarters remains unclear, as agency officials did not provide a specific count when requested.
However, the Pacific Northwest Research Station website reports approximately 246 permanent, full-time employees, primarily scientists, working in Portland.
It is still uncertain whether employees will be able to retain their positions while relocating or if layoffs will occur as part of this transition.
In her memo, Rollins stated that the agency is ‘not conducting a large-scale workforce reduction.’
An unnamed spokesperson from the USDA’s Forest Service Region 6 office described Rollins’ announcement as a ‘first step,’ explaining that the reorganization will unfold over varying timelines.
The spokesperson acknowledged that such changes may be challenging for those affected but expressed hope that impacted employees would remain with the agency throughout this transition.
In response to the announcement, Oregon’s senior U.S. Senator Ron Wyden criticized the plan, describing it as ‘inane.’
He emphasized that the geographic distance between Oregon and the proposed hub locations in states like Utah and Colorado would hinder accessibility for the needs of Oregonians.
Senator Wyden voiced his commitment to combatting this proposal, arguing that closing the Oregon office jeopardizes the quality of life for rural Oregonians.
Rollins justified the restructuring as a necessary measure to reduce agency spending, proposing to shift staff to cities with a lower cost of living.
The goal is to realign USDA operations with its core mission of supporting American agriculture, ranching, and forestry.
According to the memo, around 4,600 individuals currently work at the USDA headquarters in Washington, D.C., but Rollins indicated plans to decrease this number to 2,000 as employees are transitioned to hub cities.
The selection of the five new hub cities was based on existing concentrations of current USDA employees, cost considerations related to living expenses, and the intent to closer align the USDA with the communities it serves, all while achieving savings for taxpayers.
With a total workforce of about 100,000 employees across the USDA, approximately 30,000 work specifically for the U.S. Forest Service.
Rollins noted that over 15,300 individuals have exited the agency as part of the Trump administration’s deferred resignation program.
Officials from the Oregon Department of Forestry have not yet engaged in discussions with USDA or Forest Service representatives about the proposed relocations, according to spokesperson Joy Krawczyk.
Krawczyk mentioned that while moving the offices out of Portland would pose some inconveniences, it would not necessarily compromise the collaborative efforts between state and federal agencies.
‘While not having the regional office in Portland would certainly be less convenient for in-person interactions, the ability to coordinate and collaborate isn’t as limited by physical proximity today as it was pre-COVID,’ Krawczyk stated.
She emphasized that the Oregon Department of Forestry (ODF) and partner agencies effectively utilize virtual communication tools and plan to maintain their collaborative relationships at the local level with numerous USFS ranger districts across the state.
Tom DeLuca, dean of Oregon State University’s College of Forestry, expressed concerns regarding the implications of closing the Oregon offices on collaborative research projects.
DeLuca highlighted that many students at the college frequently work with staff from both the U.S. Forest Service Northwest Headquarters and the Northwest Research Station.
This collaboration often leads to future employment opportunities within the Forest Service for these students.
He warned that moving these functions out of state could complicate and increase the costs associated with ongoing collaborations, ultimately impacting Northwest foresters who rely on the technical support and research conducted by these offices to enhance forest ecosystems.
The restructuring plan has drawn significant attention and criticism, indicating potential ramifications for both the workforce involved and the wider forestry community.
image source from：klcc
