Forest Service Dismantles Regional Structure Gifford Pinchot Built in 1905
The U.S. Forest Service is replacing the regional office system its first chief, Gifford Pinchot, created nearly 120 years ago with 15 new state director offices. Forest Service Chief Tom Schultz detailed the changes on July 2, 2026, at a Western Governors’ Association conference in Park City, Utah. The restructuring affects an agency that employs roughly 30,000 people and manages 193 million acres of public land.
The new state offices will house an estimated 6 to 8 staff each, focused on communications, legislative affairs, and tribal liaison roles. Schultz said the goal is explicitly not to replicate the regional model the new structure replaces. The agency’s headquarters is also moving from Washington, D.C., to Salt Lake City, where Schultz plans to live and work.
300 Applications for 15 Jobs Signals a Workforce Under Strain
The agency received roughly 300 applications for the 15 new state director positions, senior executive service roles that pay well by federal standards.
300 applications for 15 jobs
An average of 20 applicants per position at an agency with 30,000 employees. Federal hiring experts consider this unusually low for senior executive roles.
For context, federal senior executive service positions at healthy agencies routinely attract far larger pools. The low application count reflects what many Forest Service employees and observers describe as a difficult moment to work for the agency. Schultz said he expects to begin interviews within weeks of the July 2 announcement.
Nearly 60 Research Stations May Close
Beyond the regional office restructuring, the Forest Service is also considering shuttering nearly 60 research and development stations. Staff from those stations would be consolidated into fewer, more centralized operations. No final list of closures has been published.
Research stations conduct the science that informs forest management decisions, including fire behavior modeling, watershed health, and wildlife habitat assessments. Centralizing that work reduces local expertise on the ground in regions with distinct ecological conditions.
Schultz said the timeline for opening state offices depends on the wildfire season. He expects state offices to become operational sometime between late October and early November 2026, after the most active fire months pass.
Wyoming’s new state office will be in Cheyenne, though the specific building has not been selected. Other state office locations have not been publicly announced.
What You Can Do Now
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Call your senators at (202) 224-3121 and ask them to request a full public accounting of which Forest Service research stations will close. Congress appropriates the Forest Service budget and has oversight authority over USDA restructuring decisions.
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Contact your House representative through house.gov/representatives/find-your-representative and ask them to hold a hearing on the state director hiring process. With 300 applicants for 15 jobs, the staffing model for 193 million acres of public land warrants scrutiny before October.
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Submit public comments to the USDA at regulations.gov when the formal restructuring plan opens for comment. Search “Forest Service reorganization” to find any active comment periods. Agency restructurings of this scale typically trigger public notice requirements.
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Contact your state’s governor’s office and ask what input they provided to the Western Governors’ Association on the restructuring. Governors have direct relationships with the Forest Service on wildfire coordination and public land access, and several were present at the Park City conference where Schultz spoke.
Sources
Idaho Capital Sun: Chief Tom Schultz Details Largest Forest Service Reorganization in a Century
WyoFile: Forest Service Reorganization Details from Chief Schultz Interview
USDA Forest Service: About the Agency, 193 Million Acres Overview
Brennan Center: Federal Agency Reorganization and Public Accountability Standards
KFF: Federal Workforce Reductions and Public Land Management Consequences
[Quote: “The intent is not to replicate the regional model.
It’s to have those positions…”, Tom Schultz, USDA Forest Service Chief, July 2, 2026]