Forest Service Chief Tom Schultz defended his agency’s sweeping reorganization plan before lawmakers Wednesday, fending off Democrat’s complaints that the service risks losing sight of its mission.
Democrats on the House Agriculture Subcommittee on Forestry and Horticulture peppered Schultz about the shake-up, which could relocate hundreds of employees in coming months, consolidate dozens of research facilities nationwide and — depending whether Congress approves it — eventually move wildfire operations from the Forest Service to the Interior Department.
The changes won’t sacrifice the Forest Service’s wildfire operations this year, nor does it signal a retreat from research, Schultz said. They will help the agency operate within its budget, he said.
The reorganization “will strengthen local leadership, streamline operations, and improve mission delivery,” he said in his prepared remarks. “For an agency whose lands, partners and operational challenges are overwhelmingly concentrated in the West, this shift represents a structural reset and a common-sense approach to improve mission delivery.”
