u.s. forest service

USDA layoffs and office consolidations are raising bipartisan concern in Congress.  Staffing levels could be pared by nearly 10% starting by early May, with the remaining staff relocated to three hubs around the country.  That’s according to briefed USDA officials, who are cited in a report by Government Executive, a government business news daily.   The layoffs and ...

Reports continue to say the Trump administration is planning to severely scale back or end all funding for many of the key programs in the Agriculture Department.  According to White House documents obtained by Government Executive, the Administration wants to cut workers and whole offices at the local level.   ...

Cuts to the federal workforce will have a greater impact on rural Oregon.  Oregon is home to more than 28,000 federal employees.  Gail Krumenauer, an economist at the Oregon Employment Department, said, based on the population, federal workforce cuts in rural counties will have a greater impact because they have a higher percentage of federal workers.   "It does t...

Earlier this month, thousands of U.S. Forest Service employees were fired, as part of an effort to downsize the federal government.  Isabella Isaksen was among those let go… and says the positions lost support wildfire efforts and other important work across Oregon.   “Permit...

Last week, Oregon senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden announced $5,416,405 in Inflation Reduction Act funding, for hazardous fuels transportation projects across the state.  The goal of the federal funding awarded by the U.S. Forest Service is to reduce the risk of wildfires by moving hazardous fuels, such as smaller trees, live or dead brush, tree limbs, and other natural debris, from national fo

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...

It has arrived with a vengeance.

Commissioners say a final Environmental Impact Statement on the project last month did not consider local concerns about the bears.

Congressman Tom Tiffany’s (WI-07) bill, H.R. 1567, the Accurately Counting Risk Elimination Solutions (ACRES) Act, passed out of the U.S. House of Representatives almost unanimously.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Forest Service announced it will invest $16.2 million to restore forests across tribal, state and private lands.