- Headquarters will relocate to Salt Lake City, Utah.
- Leadership structure will shift to a state-based model.
- Regional offices will close as new service centers open.
- Research operations will be consolidated in Colorado.
Wednesday, April 1, 2026 — The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced yesterday that the U.S. Forest Service will move its headquarters
from Washington, D.C. to Salt Lake City, Utah.
The decision reflects a simple reality. Most national forest lands are located in the western United States. By moving leadership closer to those landscapes, federal officials say the agency can respond more quickly to on-the-ground conditions and better serve local communities.
Federal leaders described the move as a structural reset. The goal is to improve how forests are managed, especially as pressures grow from wildfire, drought, and increasing demand for natural resources.
A New Way of Organizing the Agency.
Along with the relocation, the Forest Service will undergo a sweeping reorganization. The agency will move away from its long-standing regional system and adopt a state-based structure.
Under this new model, 15 state directors will oversee operations across one or more states. These leaders will work directly with forest supervisors and local partners, including state governments and tribal nations.
Support functions such as communications and legislative coordination will remain, but they will be streamlined into smaller teams. The intent is to simplify decision-making and enable field staff to respond more quickly to changing conditions.
Regional Offices Closing, New Centers Opening.
As part of the transition, all regional offices will close. In their place, the agency will establish a network of operational service centers nationwide.
These centers will be located in cities such as Albuquerque, New Mexico; Fort Collins, Colorado; Missoula, Montana; and Madison, Wisconsin. Their role will be to handle administrative and technical support, freeing up field personnel to focus on forest management.
Officials stated that this change is designed to reduce duplication and improve efficiency across the agency.
Research to Be Centralized in Colorado.
The Forest Service also plans to consolidate its research programs under a single unified structure. This new research organization will be based in Fort Collins, Colorado.
Currently, research stations are spread across the country, each with its own leadership. By consolidating these efforts, the agency expects to better align science with real-world forest management decisions.
Firefighting Operations Remain Unchanged.
Despite the restructuring, wildfire response operations will continue under the current system. The Forest Service confirmed there will be no changes to frontline firefighting roles or coordination systems.
The agency will continue working through the National Interagency Fire Center in Boise, Idaho, ensuring that wildfire response remains coordinated at the national level.
What This Means for the West.
State and federal officials emphasized that the move is intended to bring leadership closer to the people and landscapes most affected by forest policy.
With nearly 90 percent of Forest Service lands west of the Mississippi River, the shift places decision-makers closer to forests, watersheds, and rural communities that depend on them.
The transition will take place over the next year, with additional details expected as the restructuring moves forward.
