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Chief Tom Schultz details, defends largest Forest Service reorganization in a century

On Tuesday, U.S. Forest Service Chief Tom Schultz announced a major agency reorganization at the Western Governors Association conference in Park City, Utah, dissolving regional offices created nearly 120 years ago to adopt a state-focused management model.
Following the agency's loss of nearly 7,000 staff last year, this shift—discussed for nearly two decades—impacts 6,500 employees who accepted "deferred resignation program" offers amid broader federal workforce turmoil.
The Trump administration's proposed fiscal year 2027 budget includes $438 million in cuts to the National Forest System, while the agency received roughly 300 applications for 15 new state director positions.
Retired White River National Forest supervisor Scott Fitzwilliams criticized the implementation, stating, "This is turning over 100 years of organization," as current employees report plummeting job satisfaction and morale.
After the current wildfire season concludes, Chief Schultz intends to begin reassigning regional personnel and opening state offices toward the end of October or early November.

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Chief Tom Schultz details, defends largest Forest Service reorganization in a century

USDA Forest Service Chief Tom Schultz meets with employees of the Kisatchie National Forest in Louisiana on April 2, 2025. (Photo by Preston Keres/USDA)This story was first published by WyoFile on July 2, 2026. PARK CITY, UTAH — The U.S. Forest Service received roughly 300 applications for the 15 new state director jobs created during a major agency reorganization that’s dissolving regional offices the agency’s first chief, Gifford Pinchot, crea…

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