Why it Matters

The House Appropriations Committee's Forest Service budget hearing on April 16 arrives at a moment of acute institutional upheaval for the agency. The USDA is relocating Forest Service headquarters from Washington to Salt Lake City, shuttering 57 research stations, and proposing cuts as deep as 64 percent to trail maintenance. This is happening while the agency's own union argues the reorganization violates federal appropriations law. Forest Service Chief Tom Schultz will face lawmakers who must decide whether to fund an agency that is being restructured without their explicit approval.

A Reorganization Running Ahead of Congress

The USDA announced the headquarters relocation to Salt Lake City on March 31, framing it as a "common sense forest management" initiative. The plan also eliminates existing regional offices and replaces them with six new hubs across the country.

The Forest Service employees' union pushed back hard. In a statement reported by The Guardian, the union argued that appropriations law bars the agency from using its funding to relocate offices or reorganize programs without congressional sign-off — a direct challenge to the USDA's authority to proceed. That legal question lands squarely in the lap of the appropriators holding Thursday's hearing.

Schultz, in remarks reported by Government Executive, acknowledged the existing regional structure "served the agency well" for decades, but argued that "growing budget constraints and demands on employees have made it more valuable for staff to move closer to the constituencies they serve."

Research Closures Draw Scientific Alarm

The reorganization's research footprint has drawn some of the sharpest criticism. The New York Times reported that scientists warned critical work on wildfires and climate change could be lost as the agency closes 57 research stations. The Pacific Northwest is among the hardest-hit regions — OPB reported that research centers studying wildfire, ecosystems, and climate across that region are slated for closure.

The geographic irony of the HQ move has not gone unnoticed: even as the Forest Service plants its flag in Salt Lake City, it is simultaneously closing three research labs within Utah itself, consolidating that work to a hub in Fort Collins, Colorado, according to Utah Public Radio.

The Budget Hearing's Wider Stakes

The congressional budget hearing 2026 dynamic extends beyond the reorganization. The Washington Trails Association flagged a proposed 64 percent cut to trail maintenance funding, warning that the combination of reorganization and budget reductions "could break the U.S. Forest Service." The National Association of Counties flagged the restructuring as a major concern for county governments that depend on the agency to manage national forests within their jurisdictions.

Mother Jones reported widespread concern among Forest Service employees and stakeholders, with public comments suggesting the restructuring "could compromise ecological management, public access, and employee morale."

Who Has Been Lobbying on Forest Service Funding

The Forest Service funding debate has generated sustained lobbying activity over the past year. Across 28 qualifying filings, disclosed spending exceeded $665,000 in the twelve months prior to the hearing.

The American Forest Resource Council lobbied across multiple quarters on "funding for timber management programs at the US Forest Service," FY 2026 appropriations, and explicitly on the "Forest Service Budget." The group also pushed the Fix Our Forests Act (HR 471 / S. 1462), which appeared repeatedly across filings from several organizations including American Forests and the Conservation Alliance.

The National Association of University Forest Resource Programs filed the most directly on-point disclosure, listing "Forest Service budget and reorganization" as a lobbying issue in its first quarter 2026 report — covering FY 2026 appropriations, the McIntire-Stennis Forestry Research Program, and university research overhead policies.

Linn County, Oregon spent $60,000 per quarter across three quarters on forest fire prevention and Forest Service operations — a persistent regional concern that reflects the stakes for communities adjacent to national forests. The American Wood Council and Southeastern Lumber Manufacturers Association both lobbied on forestry budget issues and Forest Service program funding, including the Wood Innovation Grant program.

The Hearing

Forest Service Chief Tom Schultz is slated to appear as the sole witness before the House Appropriations subcommittee. The forest management budget questions before him are layered: lawmakers will need to assess not just the agency's funding request, but whether the reorganization currently underway was legally authorized under existing appropriations — and whether Congress intends to ratify, reverse, or constrain it going forward.

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