Overview
- The confirmed reorganization moves the headquarters to Salt Lake City by summer 2027, closes all nine regional offices, and consolidates research under a single station in Fort Collins.
- The plan shutters 57 of 77 research facilities across 31 states, including six in California, and shifts support work into new operations centers in Albuquerque, Athens, Fort Collins, Madison, Missoula, and Placerville.
- USDA officials say district offices and wildfire response will continue unchanged, and employees will receive phased relocation options, though the total number affected is not yet known.
- Scientists and conservation groups warn the closures could trigger staff losses and wipe out long-term datasets that feed wildfire models and tools used by firefighters and utilities.
- Coverage notes a warning from the 2019 BLM relocation, when more than 87% of staff left, and AP reporting indicates roughly 260 Washington jobs will move with about 130 staying.