WASHINGTON, D.C. — As wildfires have scorched hundreds of square miles in Eastern and Central Washington in recent weeks, U.S. Forest Service Chief Tom Schultz told federal lawmakers that fires are surging past normalcy nationwide.
We are experiencing higher than average national fire activity after a dry winter," Schultz said during a congressional subcommittee hearing on Wednesday. "Extensive drought and excessive heat are worsening hazardous fuel conditions across large parts of the West."
The increased fire risk comes as the U.S. Forest Service, which oversees nearly 200 million acres in federal land, predominantly in the American West, undertakes a massive and controversial restructuring that will consolidate its footprint, compelling many congressmembers during Wednesday's hearing to question the agency's capacity to handle increasingly intense wildfire seasons in the years to come.
The restructuring, announced this spring, is the latest change for an agency that also sustained widespread staffing cuts in President Donald Trump's effort to shrink the federal government.
The Forest Service has lost thousands of employees due to layoffs, buyouts and early retirements during Trump's second term, underscoring for some lawmakers concerns about the government's wildfire readiness.
Schultz testified before the House Forestry and Horticulture Subcommittee that staffing cuts have not constrained the agency's ability to respond to wildfires. The Forest Service has exceeded its wildland firefighter hiring targets for the wildfire season to meet the need, he said, with more than 11,800 personnel ready to deploy as of July — an uptick compared to the same time period in recent years.
Meanwhile, the agency is still finalizing details of its reorganization, Schultz said. Its headquarters will relocate from Washington, D.C., to Salt Lake City.
It also plans to shutter several research facilities and its nine regional offices, including the Portland-based Pacific Northwest Region Headquarters, which oversees Washington state and Oregon. Fifteen state offices, including one in Olympia, will replace them, Schultz told lawmakers. The reorganization will span many months.
"The intent was to make sure we operate within the budget that we have," Schultz said, arguing that this should ultimately streamline the agency. "How do we run government in a way that provides services to the public, the American public that they want, in a way that we can sustainably manage that long term?"
Republican Rep. Dan Newhouse, of Yakima, said he is hopeful a new state-based structure will yield benefits for wildfire and forestry management. That is dire, the subcommittee chairman emphasized during his opening remarks. "As we speak, firefighters are still working to contain a fire that started in the northern part of my district, and at the end of last week, which has grown to nearly 80,000 acres," Newhouse said.
"Certainly there's going to be challenges with any kind of system change," he told The Seattle Times. "But I really think it'll be better. … It will bring the decision-making closer to home."
Others grilled Schultz on what they characterized as a dubious restructuring.
"Four months later, there are still no details, only anxiety and uncertainty for these workers and their families. It's difficult to see the chaos as anything other than intentional at this point," said Rep. Andrea Salinas, of Oregon, the subcommittee's top Democrat.
"This sweeping reorganization creates more questions than answers, and the fact that it’s being implemented right as wildfire season is upon us is alarming," she added.
Others criticized the change as another political move that undercuts a critical agency. "The Forest Service isn't a political weapon to be wielded when the administration changes," said Rep. Angie Craig, D-Oregon.
In Washington state, wildfire season typically runs from June through September and particularly affects the region east of the Cascades. It has already been an active season. On Thursday morning, two small towns in Central Washington were ordered to evacuate after another blaze began Wednesday, while thousands of acres burned in wildfires further east.
"Middle of summer is a challenging time of year for everybody, Newhouse said.
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