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US Forest Service Closes 57 of 77 Research Labs Before Fire Season

The U.S. Forest Service announced it will shut 57 of its 77 research facilities, spanning 31 states, and merge the remaining science functions into a single office in Fort Collins, Colorado. The reorganization also moves the agency’s headquarters from Washington to Salt Lake City, affecting roughly 260 headquarters staff and potentially relocating up to 5,000 employees across its 193‑million‑acre estate. The closures eliminate key labs such as the Pacific Wildland Fire Sciences Laboratory, which provides wildfire smoke forecasts for the Pacific Northwest, just as the 2026 fire season has already produced more than 16,000 wildfires. The move marks the most sweeping structural change since the Service’s founding in 1905 and signals a pivot toward active forest management and increased timber harvest targets.