U.S. Forest Service Relocating Headquarters to Salt Lake City

Major restructuring shifts agency to state-based leadership model and consolidates research operations

Apr. 6, 2026 at 11:00am

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The U.S. Forest Service will be moving its headquarters from Washington, D.C. to Salt Lake City, Utah as part of a broader restructuring that will transition the agency from a regional model to a state-based leadership structure. The changes are intended to bring decision-making closer to the lands and communities the Forest Service manages, with the closure of regional offices and the establishment of state directors overseeing operations.

Why it matters

This significant shift in the Forest Service's organizational structure and geographic footprint could impact how the agency coordinates wildfire response, makes land use decisions, and implements timber policies, as authority is redistributed from the national level to state-based leadership.

The details

The Forest Service's new headquarters will be located in Salt Lake City, Utah, placing top leadership closer to the western United States where most federal forest lands are situated. The agency will also consolidate its research operations under a single national organization based in Fort Collins, Colorado. All regional offices will be closed, with their responsibilities redistributed to state offices and a network of operational service centers across the country.

  • The transition to the new structure is expected to occur over the next year, with additional phases planned as the agency completes the shift to a state-based model.
  • The Forest Service said it will provide guidance to employees and partners as the transition progresses, with core operations such as wildfire response, forest restoration, and recreation management continuing without interruption.

The players

U.S. Forest Service

A federal agency under the U.S. Department of Agriculture that manages and protects 154 national forests and 20 national grasslands in the United States.

Brooke Rollins

The current U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, who stated that moving the Forest Service headquarters closer to the forests it manages is an essential action to improve the agency's core mission.

Tom Schultz

The current Chief of the U.S. Forest Service, who said the restructuring is about building a Forest Service that is nimble, efficient, effective and closer to the forests and communities it serves.

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What they’re saying

“Moving the Forest Service closer to the forests we manage is an essential action that will improve our core mission.”

— Brooke Rollins, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture

“This is about building a Forest Service that is nimble, efficient, effective and closer to the forests and communities it serves.”

— Tom Schultz, U.S. Forest Service Chief

What’s next

The agency said it will provide guidance to employees and partners as the transition progresses, with core operations such as wildfire response, forest restoration, and recreation management continuing without interruption.

The takeaway

This major restructuring of the U.S. Forest Service, including the relocation of its headquarters to Salt Lake City and the shift to a state-based leadership model, represents an effort to decentralize decision-making and bring the agency closer to the lands and communities it serves. The changes could have significant impacts on how the Forest Service coordinates wildfire response, manages federal forests, and implements key policies across the western United States.