SELC urges Senators to scrap proposed Forest Service reorganization  

WASHINGTON — Today the Southern Environmental Law sent a letter to the U.S. Senate Agriculture Committee urging committee members to scrap the proposed reorganization of the U.S. Forest Service—a reckless move would lead to more firings of Forest Service employees and do long-lasting harm to national forests across the country. The letter comes ahead of the Committee’s hearing on the proposed reorganization.  

Last month, the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture announced a proposed reorganization of the Forest Service. The changes would include shuttering the agency’s regional offices and firing even more dedicated public lands workers. The already-understaffed Forest Service has fired thousands of workers in the last six months, losing nearly 10 percent of its staff.  

“This so-called restructuring of the Forest Service will do irreparable harm to our national forests and the communities across the South that depend on them,” Sam Evans, leader of SELC’s National Forests and Parks Program, said. “These moves will lead to more unnecessary firings at the already understaffed agency, resulting in closed campgrounds, unmaintained trails, and less access to our public lands. Members of Congress must step up and stop this blatant attack on our shared public lands.” 

The reorganization also looks to close research stations across the country, including the Southern Research Station. The Southern Research Station, which is based in Asheville, N.C., is an extremely valuable tool that studies forest management practices, works with private landowners, and helps better protect communities from natural disasters. Recently, the Southern Research Station has been working with other organizations to study fire risk in the wake of Hurricane Helene.  

“For decades, the Southern Research Station has been conducting critical research that ensures state, local, and Tribal leaders are prepared for wildfires and natural disasters. Shuttering this resource would put an abrupt stop to this important work and put our communities at a greater risk,” Evans said.  

The proposed reorganization must be approved by Congress before going forward. In the letter, SELC urges members of Congress to stand up for the nation’s public lands and the people who take care of them by rejecting the reorganization proposal. SELC is also asking people to contact their congressperson about the Trump administration’s attack on public lands workers.