Forest Service overhaul threatens Portland's role
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The Willamette National Forest is one of nearly a dozen in Oregon that cover roughly 16 million acres. Photo: Marli Miller/UCG/Universal Images Group via Getty Images
A sweeping reorganization of the U.S. Forest Service is poised to reshape how millions of acres of Western forests are managed, and will likely force the relocation of hundreds of researchers from Portland.
Why it matters: Portland has long been a hub for wildfire planning, timber policy and scientific research across Oregon, Washington and Alaska.
- Losing agency offices here could reduce local influence over decisions shaping Northwest forests, critics say.
Zoom in: The Portland-based regional office oversees vast federal lands across the Northwest — including a quarter of all the land in Oregon — coordinating wildfire response, conservation and timber policy.
- The city is also home to the 100-year-old Pacific Northwest Research Station, which employs nearly 250 people, mostly scientists, studying forest health, climate and ecosystems.
- Under the proposed changes, agency research would be consolidated in one location in Fort Collins, Colorado.
- The agency's firefighting duties, including the Northwest Coordination Center, which oversees deployment of wildfire assets around the region, would be unaffected by the reorganization.
The big picture: As part of the proposed reorganization, the agency's headquarters would move from Washington, D.C. to Salt Lake City, Utah, U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said in a statement.
- The changes would bring decision-making closer to the lands the agency manages, most of which are in the West, "while saving taxpayer dollars and boosting employee recruitment," she said.
"This is about building a Forest Service that is nimble, efficient, effective and closer to the forests and communities it serves," agency chief Tom Schultz said in a statement.
The other side: "At a time when wildfires are getting worse, and access to public lands is already under strain, the last thing we need is an unnecessary reorganization that creates chaos and confusion for the land managers, researchers and wildland firefighters who help keep our forests healthy now and for future generations," Josh Hicks, with The Wilderness Society, said in a statement.
What's next: The closure of the research station and the relocation to Salem are expected within the next two years, per the Oregon Capital Chronicle.