Protect the U.S. Forest Service and Our Public Lands

I am writing as a constituent and as an American who deeply values our nation’s public lands to demand immediate action to protect the United States Forest Service from ongoing and proposed dismantling efforts. Our national forests are not political bargaining chips or revenue streams to be carved up for private gain. They belong to the American people. They safeguard clean water, protect wildlife, support rural economies, and provide irreplaceable spaces for recreation, reflection, and connection to nature. Americans across the political spectrum cherish these lands—and we expect you to defend them. Recent proposals and restructuring efforts within the Forest Service raise serious concerns. Plans to centralize decision-making, reduce regional capacity, eliminate research infrastructure, and shift priorities away from conservation threaten the agency’s core mission. Weakening scientific research, cutting staffing, and opening the door to increased privatization or extraction will have lasting, irreversible consequences for millions of acres of public land. Let me be clear: we do not want our forests handed over to private interests or exploited for short-term profit. We do not want policies that prioritize the wealth of a few over the health of our ecosystems, our communities, and future generations. Efforts that undermine environmental review, reduce public input, or sidestep Congressional oversight are unacceptable. The Forest Service has a responsibility—mandated by law—to manage these lands sustainably for multiple uses, not to facilitate their degradation. Any reorganization must strengthen, not weaken, its ability to fulfill that mission. I urge you to: • Conduct immediate oversight hearings on the proposed changes to the Forest Service • Block any funding or policy changes that undermine conservation, research, or public access • Protect staffing levels and scientific capacity within the agency • Ensure that public lands remain in public hands and are not subject to backdoor privatization This is not a partisan issue. It is a moral one. It is about stewardship, accountability, and whether we will leave behind a country as rich in natural beauty as the one we inherited. Americans love our wilderness. We will not stand by while it is dismantled. Do your job. Protect our forests. Make this stop.