Utah is home to more than 8 million acres of U.S. Forest Service land, and it’s now poised to be home to the agency’s operations.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced Tuesday that it will relocate its Forest Service headquarters to Salt Lake City as part of a “sweeping restructuring of the agency” that seeks to bring the agency’s leaders closer to the lands it manages.
“Moving the Forest Service closer to the forests we manage is an essential action that will improve our core mission of managing our forests while saving taxpayer dollars and boosting employee recruitment,” said Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, in a statement. “Establishing a Western headquarters in Salt Lake City and streamlining how the Forest Service is organized will position the chief and operation leaders closer to the landscapes we manage and the people who depend on them.”
The department also announced that it will create a new “state-based organizational model,” which features 15 state directors who will be set up across the country to oversee operations in a state or a smaller cluster of states, by meeting with states, tribes and other key figures within their zones.
Utah’s state director, for instance, would oversee Utah and Nevada, while different directors would oversee Forest Service land in other Western states.
All regional offices are also slated to close, with some facilities being retained for various needs, the agency also announced on Tuesday. Employees will be given information as to when the changes will be made.
It wasn’t immediately clear where the new national headquarters will be located within the Salt Lake City area or when it will open. Employees will be given information as to when all the other changes will be made, officials said.
Stephen Vaden, the department’s deputy secretary, said he was dazzled by a recent visit to the area. The agency was impressed by the area’s modern facilities, proximity to an international airport, as well as the “reasonable cost of living” and “more family-focused way of life.”
“This relocation is long overdue, and I am grateful to President (Donald) Trump for having the courage to do what is right by the American people,” he added.
The goal, department officials added, is to simplify the system and give field leaders “greater ability to respond to conditions on the ground. The new system should help the Forest Service become more efficient and effective in making forest decisions,” said Forest Service Chief Tom Schultz.
Gov. Spencer Cox celebrated the announcement, calling it a “big win” for both Utah and the West.
The decision comes nearly three months after Utah and the Forest Service inked a 20-year cooperative agreement that established the framework for better collaboration on decisions tied to Forest Service land in the state.
“This isn’t symbolic. It means better, faster decisions on the ground,” he said, in a statement. “Everyone who depends on our public lands, from hikers and campers to ranchers and timber producers, will benefit from this change.”
Leaders of other Western states agreed. Colorado Gov. Jared Polis, a Democrat, said he’s happy his state will also house a regional office and an operational service center, including its research wing.
He said that having a closer relationship with the federal government will help ensure the Forest Service lands within his state are maintained.
“More than a third of Colorado is federal land, including world-class ski areas like Vail and Breckenridge, and having a closer relationship with our federal partners is important to maintaining those lands and the communities around them,” he said.