The U.S. Forest Service, already struggling with understaffing, fired about 3,400 workers this month — roughly 10% of its workforce — amid the Trump administration’s efforts to shrink the federal government. Now, with Forest Service Chief Randy Moore set to retire next week, the agency will be led by a former timber industry lobbyist. In a letter posted to the agency’s website this week, Moore called the cuts “incredibly difficult” and urged remaining staff to “rise to the occasion.”
But current and former Forest Service employees warn that mass firings threaten public access to federal lands and increase wildfire danger for tens of millions. They also fear the Trump administration is moving towards auctioning off public lands to corporations interested in resource extraction. Federal workers and their unions are pushing back — with some success. A federal judge this week ordered the government to cancel its directive to lay off employees at six agencies. However, the ruling did not extend to the Forest Service, leaving some workers unclear as to its implications. Workers are also speaking up in hopes that their advocacy can reverse the administration’s course and protect the public lands they say are at risk.
