Forest Service

The country’s top land managers testified before U.S. senators last week to defend sweeping budget cuts for the nation’s public lands and a plan to sell 3.3 million acres managed by the Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management so communities can build housing.   T...

Several Senate Democrats say they are concerned that federal staffing cuts could impact firefighting efforts this summer.  Senators from Oregon and Washington say some firefighters and support staff are gone from the Forest Service.  Oregon’...

Thousands of workers have reportedly accepted the Trump administration’s buyout offers at the USDA.  E & E News says employees who’ve seen the internal numbers at USDA say the count has reached 3,100 at the Forest Service, 1,200 at the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, and possibly up to 12,000 people through the entire agency.  If those numbers hold, ...

Ag Secretary Brooke Rollins announced Thursday the selection of Idaho’s Tom Schultz to serve as the 21st chief of the Forest Service.  Upon being sworn in, Schultz will replace Chief Randy Moore, who recently announced his retirement after serving the agency for over four decades.   “Tom i...

Senators from Oregon and Idaho are pushing for Congress to reauthorize the Secure Rural Schools Act before funding runs out.  States with timber on federal land depend on the program for funding schools and other projects that would have been paid for by timber harvests, which aren’t allowed on federal land.   “The S...

The USDA will boost wildlife habitat protection as the Biden administration enters its final months.  In a department memo this week, Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack directed agencies to coordinate more closely on protecting lands across different types of ownership, including making wildlife habitat a high priority in various conservation programs.  Vilsack...

Saturday is National Public Lands Day, a fee free day at federally owned, day-use parks and public lands nationwide.   "National forests, national parks, any other public lands. wildlife refuges," said Alice Cohen of the U.S. Forest S...

Improve the health of America’s forests while reducing the risks of wildfire to communities.  That has been the effort and focus on the U.S. Forest Service’s Collaborative Wildfire Risk Reduction Program, which has focused on 21 specially selected fire sheds.  But Agriculture Sec...

The Oregon Department of Agriculture is inviting producers impacted by wildfire in Umatilla and Morrow counties to an informational meeting where agencies will answer questions.  Participants will learn about resources available for residents, landowners, livestock and agricultural producers.   ...

The U.S. Forest Service is looking to shore up its wildland firefighting force in the Pacific Northwest.  Recruitment events will take place across Oregon next month, with stops in Bend, Sandy and La Grande on September 12th, in an effort to hire a couple hundred permanent seasonal positions.   “...