The U.S. Department of Agriculture just announced a sweeping reorganization of the U.S. Forest Service and relocation of its national headquarters from Washington, D.C., to Salt Lake City. The change is described by the Trump administration as a “structural reset” intended to align agency leadership more closely with the lands it manages. Approximately 90% of the agency’s 193 million acres of national forests and grasslands are in the Western United States.

The announcement comes at a time of significant transition for the agency, following recent staffing reductions, program changes and shifting federal priorities that have altered the size and structure of the Forest Service workforce.

The National Restructuring Plan

The transition, scheduled for completion by mid-2027, moves roughly 260 leadership positions to Utah and eliminates the agency’s nine regional offices. In their place, the Forest Service will adopt a “state-based organizational model,” with 15 state directors responsible for oversight within individual or multi-state areas. The plan establishes six “operational service centers,” including one in Fort Collins, and consolidates research functions under a single Forest Service research organization — also to be located in Fort Collins.

Supporters say a more localized leadership structure could improve responsiveness by reducing layers of administration and relocating staff closer to the landscapes they manage.

However, the restructuring is unfolding alongside a reduction in the agency’s workforce. The Forest Service has experienced notable staffing losses over the past year, including positions tied to trail maintenance, watershed restoration and forest management. Observers note that these changes may influence the agency’s capacity to carry out both day-to-day operations and long-term planning, particularly as demands on public lands continue to grow.

The elimination of regional offices has also prompted questions about how the agency will coordinate across large, multi-state ecosystems. Wildlife habitat, wildfire behavior and watershed systems often extend beyond state boundaries, and some former agency officials and researchers note that regional structures historically helped manage those cross-boundary challenges.

The 2019 relocation of the Bureau of Land Management headquarters to Grand Junction is frequently cited as a recent example of large-scale federal reorganization. That move resulted in significant staff attrition, including the departure of many senior specialists, and was later reversed. 

The Colorado perspective

Reaction within Colorado has been mixed. In the USDA’s announcement, Governor Jared Polis emphasized the potential benefits of closer federal-state coordination, particularly given the extent of federally managed land within the state.

At the same time, Colorado-based stakeholders, including local governments, recreation groups and conservation organizations, have raised questions about how the transition will affect existing partnerships, permitting processes, and access to scientific and technical expertise. Much will depend on how responsibilities are defined under the new structure and how resources are distributed during implementation.

Impacts on Summit County

For Summit County, one of the most immediate changes is the planned closure of the Forest Service’s Region 2 office in Lakewood, which has historically provided oversight for the White River National Forest. Under the new structure, those functions will shift to a Colorado-based state director and the Fort Collins service center.

Public lands in this region, including the Eagles Nest and Ptarmigan Peak wilderness areas, are managed within complex ecological systems. How the new structure will support that broader, landscape-scale management — particularly in the context of reduced staffing and evolving program priorities — remains an open question.

As implementation moves forward, the Eagle Summit Wilderness Alliance is tracking how these overlapping changes may affect the Forest Service’s capacity to manage increasing recreational use, respond to wildfire risk and maintain the long-term ecological health of public lands in Colorado. 

Melissa North is a volunteer for the Eagle Summit Wilderness Alliance and a member of the advocacy committee.