U.S. Forest Service Chief Tom Schultz is overseeing the largest structural reorganization of the federal agency in roughly a century, dissolving regional offices established by conservationist Gifford Pinchot and replacing them with state-based leadership to bring decision-making closer to local communities.
The restructuring, formally initiated in spring 2026 after being signaled in summer 2025, creates 15 new state director positions to manage the Forest Service’s 193 million acres and workforce of approximately 30,000 employees. The agency received nearly 300 applications for those roles, averaging about 20 candidates per opening. Schultz said “what we’re trying to do is basically bring the Forest Service closer to the people that we serve.”
Background on the Reorganization
The shift marks a fundamental departure from the administrative structure built nearly 120 years ago under President Theodore Roosevelt’s conservation agenda. Regional offices, which coordinated forest management across multiple states, will be eliminated in favor of individual state operations staffed with an estimated six to eight personnel each.
The concept of restructuring has circulated within the agency for nearly two decades, but formal work began in August 2024. The reorganization aligns with the Trump administration’s broader efficiency push: the Forest Service workforce contracted by roughly 18 percent during the recent government reduction effort.
Schultz, a University of Wyoming graduate and former Idaho Department of Lands director, was appointed by Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins in February 2025. Before joining the federal government, he worked as an executive with an Idaho logging company, giving him experience in both public land management and the timber industry.
Timeline and Implementation
Schultz expects interviews for the 15 state director positions to begin within weeks. The agency plans to open state offices and reassign regional personnel after wildfire season concludes, targeting late October or early November 2026 for full operational status.
The agency is also considering shuttering nearly five dozen research and development stations as part of the restructuring. Additionally, Schultz is planning to relocate the Forest Service headquarters from Washington, D.C. to the Salt Lake City area, further decentralizing agency operations.
Wyoming’s new state office will be based in Cheyenne, though the specific building has not yet been selected. Other states will follow a similar model, with each maintaining its own director and small staff to handle local forest management decisions.
Defense of the Changes
Schultz has framed the reorganization as a management improvement that empowers state offices to respond more quickly to local forest conditions, natural disasters, and community needs. The shift from a regional command structure to state-level authority is intended to reduce bureaucratic layers between Washington and the ground-level reality of forest management across the West.
The reorganization reflects the broader Trump administration philosophy of devolving federal authority to states and reducing the footprint of federal agencies. For Montana and the broader West, where federal lands dominate the landscape, the changes could reshape how the Forest Service coordinates management of public forests, responds to wildfires, and engages with state and local officials on land-use decisions.
The timing is significant, as the Forest Service faces mounting pressure to manage increasingly severe fire seasons while operating with a leaner workforce. Whether the new state-based structure improves operational efficiency or creates coordination challenges across state lines will likely be tested during the 2026 and 2027 wildfire seasons.
