The US Forest Service and the National Park Service are set to terminate thousands of employees, a move that could significantly impact operations across the country's treasured natural landscapes. The US Forest Service plans to dismiss approximately 3,400 recent hires, while the National Park Service will terminate about 1,000 workers. These terminations specifically target employees in their probationary periods, meaning those hired less than a year ago. Collectively, these cuts represent about 10% of the Forest Service workforce and around 5% of National Park Service employees.
Excluded from these terminations are firefighters, law enforcement personnel, certain meteorologists, and 5,000 seasonal workers. Despite these exclusions, the anticipated staffing reductions have sparked concern among advocacy groups and stakeholders. The National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA) has raised alarms about the potential consequences for visitors, who might encounter "overflowing trash, uncleaned bathrooms and fewer rangers to provide guidance" during their visits.
"Allowing parks to hire seasonal staff is essential, but staffing cuts of this magnitude will have devastating consequences for parks and communities." – Theresa Pierno, National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA) president
The national park system recorded 325 million visits in 2023, an increase of 13 million from the previous year. This surge in visitors has heightened the demand for adequate staffing levels to maintain park facilities and provide visitor services. However, NPCA President Theresa Pierno has pointed out that current staffing levels are not keeping pace with these increasing demands.
"Overflowing trash, uncleaned bathrooms and fewer rangers to provide guidance" – Kristen Brengel, NPCA’s senior vice-president of government affairs
In addition to staffing challenges, the US Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management have frozen contracts with non-profit organizations. This includes the Oregon-based Lomakatsi Restoration Project, which has been notably affected by a funding freeze. Marko Bey, executive director of Lomakatsi Restoration Project, highlighted the impact on their efforts.
"The funding freeze has impacted more than 30 separate grants and agreements that Lomakatsi has with federal agencies, including pending awards as well as active agreements that are already putting work on the ground" – Marko Bey, Lomakatsi Restoration Project executive director
The Grassroots Wildland Firefighters advocacy group also expressed concern over the inability to hire hundreds of firefighters typically brought on during this time of year. Senate Democrats have urged the administration to unlock fire-mitigation funding following devastating blazes in Los Angeles, which are anticipated to be the costliest in US history.
In response to concerns about public safety and resource management, the Department of Agriculture emphasized its commitment to prioritizing wildland firefighter and other public safety positions.
"Our wildland firefighter and other public safety positions are of the utmost priority" – Department of Agriculture statement
The Department of Agriculture oversees the Forest Service but has refrained from commenting on personnel matters. Meanwhile, the administration has rescinded a late January order pausing federal grants but is currently reevaluating this decision.