Trump Administration Plans to Move Forest Service HQ to Utah

Closure of research facilities in 31 states part of reorganization effort

Apr. 1, 2026 at 6:02am

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A serene, painterly scene of a lone Forest Service ranger station or lookout tower nestled in a rugged, mountainous landscape, with warm sunlight casting deep shadows across the structure.The proposed relocation of the Forest Service headquarters away from the nation's capital raises concerns about diminishing the agency's influence and ability to effectively oversee public lands.Washington Today

The Trump administration has announced plans to move the headquarters of the US Forest Service from Washington, DC to Salt Lake City, Utah as part of a broader reorganization that will also involve shutting down research facilities in 31 states. The administration says the move will bring agency leaders closer to the landscapes they manage, but critics argue it will weaken the agency and give more power to corporations and states to exploit public lands.

Why it matters

The Forest Service is a key federal agency responsible for managing and protecting the country's national forests and grasslands. Relocating the headquarters away from the nation's capital raises concerns that it will diminish the agency's influence and ability to effectively oversee public lands, especially as the Western US faces growing environmental challenges like drought, heat waves, and wildfire risk.

The details

The planned relocation would move about 260 Forest Service positions currently located in Washington, DC to Salt Lake City, while 130 workers will remain in the capital. The administration argues this will bring leaders closer to the landscapes they manage, though Utah is only the 11th-ranked state for national forest coverage. Environmental groups view the move as an attempt to weaken the agency and give more power to states and corporations to log, mine, and drill on public lands. The reorganization will also involve closing research facilities in 31 states and consolidating research at a single location in Fort Collins, Colorado.

  • The move is expected to be completed by summer 2027.
  • During his first term, Trump moved the Bureau of Land Management headquarters to Colorado, a decision that was later reversed by the Biden administration.

The players

Brooke Rollins

Agriculture Secretary who announced the Forest Service headquarters move.

Spencer Cox

Republican governor of Utah who celebrated the move as a "big win" for the state and the West.

Taylor McKinnon

Southwest director at the Center for Biological Diversity, an environmental group that views the move as a "costly bureaucratic reshuffle" that will give more power to corporations and states to exploit public lands.

Char Miller

Professor of environmental analysis and history at Pomona College who says the decentralization process is an attempt to "destroy the capacity and effectiveness" of the Forest Service.

Teresa Leger Fernández

New Mexico Democratic Congresswoman who sits on the House's Natural Resources Committee and expressed cautious optimism that the reorganization could be positive if it brings leadership and jobs closer to Western states.

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What they’re saying

“National forests belong to all Americans. Our nation's capital is where federal policy is made and where the Forest Service headquarters belongs.”

— Taylor McKinnon, Southwest director, Center for Biological Diversity

“This is an attempt to destroy the capacity and effectiveness of the agency. There needs to be an office in the capital because that's where Congress is, that makes the budgetary decisions that drive the mission of the organization and what it can do.”

— Char Miller, Professor of environmental analysis and history, Pomona College

What’s next

The Forest Service reorganization plan still needs to be finalized and implemented over the next several years. The Biden administration could potentially reverse course on the headquarters move, as it did with the Bureau of Land Management relocation.

The takeaway

The proposed Forest Service headquarters move to Utah is the latest effort by the Trump administration to decentralize federal agencies and shift power away from Washington, DC. While supporters argue it will bring the agency closer to the lands it manages, critics warn it could weaken the Forest Service's ability to effectively oversee and protect the country's national forests and grasslands.