Stop the illegal reorganization of the US Forest Service!

I’m writing to urge you to stop the illegal reorganization of the US Forest Service. The planned facility closures would negatively impact the partners and constituents served by Forest Service lands, grants, and technical expertise. The reorganization would reduce the agency’s ability to carry out its mission to support forest health and wildfire management, including critical support for the private sector forestry industry. The Forest Service supports forest management across all lands, both public and private. States and private landowners depend on the agency for funding for wildland firefighting, reliable data about forest health, and the science behind wood products and tree disease management. The agency is making false claims about cost efficiency in its rationale for location closures that are not supported by evidence about those locations. The agency is also not taking into consideration the negative impacts that the reorganization will have on programs like Forest Inventory & Analysis and Forest Health Protection. I’m asking the you commit to stopping the reorganization and fully funding the Forest Service in the 2027 appropriations bill – including Research & Development and State, Private, & Tribal Forestry, which are crucial for constituents in our state. If Congress fails to restore Forest Service funding and stop the reorganization, the agency will lose critical functions to manage forest resources and serve the American people. I urge you to take a stand by putting communities and forests first. Stop the illegal reorganization of the US Forest Service, which is an attempt to dismantle the agency and drive out dedicated federal workers without going through the process of a Reduction in Force.