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Why It Matters
The U.S. Forest Service is undertaking its most significant structural overhaul in a century, affecting how the federal government manages 193 million acres across the nation—including vast stretches of Wyoming’s public lands. The reorganization will shift power from distant regional offices to state-level operations, with Wyoming’s new state office based in Cheyenne, altering how the agency responds to forest management, wildfire response, and local land-use decisions that touch Wyoming ranchers, outdoor enthusiasts, and communities.
What Happened
Forest Service Chief Tom Schultz unveiled details of the restructuring Tuesday from Park City’s Deer Valley Resort, revealing that the agency received roughly 300 applications for 15 newly created state director positions—averaging 20 candidates per job. Schultz’s team is now narrowing the candidate pool, with interviews expected to begin within the next couple of weeks.
The reorganization dissolves regional offices established nearly 120 years ago by conservationist Gifford Pinchot, fundamentally reshaping how the Forest Service operates. Under the new structure, state offices will employ an estimated six to eight staff members each, compared to the current sprawling regional bureaucracy based in Washington, D.C.
“What we’re trying to do is basically bring the Forest Service closer to the people that we serve,” Schultz said in a public statement about the initiative.
The Forest Service has signaled this overhaul since summer 2025 and formally set the process in motion this spring. Personnel reassignments are planned to take effect after wildfire season concludes, likely in late October or early November.
The Scale of Change
The restructuring represents a dramatic downsizing of the federal workforce. The Forest Service employs roughly 30,000 staff nationwide and manages nearly 193 million acres. The reorganization will trim the workforce by approximately 18 percent. Additionally, nearly five dozen research and development stations may be shuttered as part of the consolidation.
The agency’s headquarters will relocate from Washington, D.C. to the Salt Lake City area, centralizing operations closer to the western lands the agency manages. Wyoming’s state office will establish operations in Cheyenne, though the agency has not yet selected a specific building.
Leadership Background
Schultz brings experience managing public lands. Before his appointment as Forest Service chief in February 2025 by Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, Schultz served as director of Idaho’s Department of Lands and worked as an executive with an Idaho logging company, giving him firsthand knowledge of timber industry operations and state land management.
Long Road to Restructuring
The concept of reorganizing the Forest Service around state boundaries has circulated within the agency for nearly two decades. Discussions began in earnest around 2008 regarding a state-focused system redesign, but the effort became more formal only in August 2024, when the Trump administration signaled its intent to streamline federal land management.
The timing of the overhaul reflects broader Republican priorities to decentralize federal operations and reduce Washington’s administrative overhead. By moving decision-making authority to state offices, the restructuring aims to make the Forest Service more responsive to local conditions and regional needs—a philosophy consistent with devolution-focused governance.
What’s Next
Schultz’s team will conduct interviews over the coming weeks to fill the 15 state director positions. Once leadership is in place, the Forest Service will execute personnel moves after wildfire season ends, likely by late fall. The agency will also proceed with closing research stations and consolidating administrative functions as the new state-based structure takes shape.
The reorganization will likely reshape how Wyoming communities interact with federal land managers, potentially accelerating local input into forest policy and management decisions affecting grazing, logging, recreation, and wildfire response across the state’s public lands.
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