Forty-one other facilities will remain open after officials raised concerns
The U.S. Forest Service is closing 23 research and development stations in more than a dozen states as part of an organizational overhaul launched under President Donald Trump, the agency said Thursday. The reorganization is intended to trim costs and concentrate the agency’s resources in Western states.
The work being done at the closing stations will continue at other sites, Forest Service Associate Chief Chris French said in an interview. No ongoing science activities or experimental forests are being closed as part of the consolidation, French said.
The reorganization was first announced in March and originally placed a broader set of facilities under review, French said. An additional 41 research facilities that had faced possible closure will remain open after local officials and members of Congress raised concerns about the plan.
“Our primary goal was to get our facilities costs under control,” French told The Associated Press. He said no active scientific programs would be eliminated in the consolidation. “We’re not closing any ongoing science activities. We’re not closing any of the experimental forests that are important to our researchers,” French said.