USDA announced March 31 that it would be relocating the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) headquarters from Washington, D.C. to Salt Lake City, UT.
“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,” said Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins.
In addition to the headquarters relocation, USFS will begin transitioning to a state-based organizational model, USDA said. A total of 15 state directors will be distributed throughout the country to oversee USFS operations within one or more states.
The agency will also shift functions at regional offices to a network of service centers located in Albuquerque, NM; Athens, GA; Fort Collins, CO; Madison, WI; Missoula, MT; and Placerville, CA. USFS will also consolidate leadership for its research enterprise, bringing all research stations under one in Fort Collins, CO.
