"Forest Service Employees Warn of Catastrophic and Repulsive Effects Resulting From Planned Cuts"
The U.S. Forest Service, a vital organisation responsible for managing the nation's forests, is facing numerous challenges due to funding cuts and reduced staffing.
Under President Biden, some forests have gone from receiving three visits from contracted custodians to just one, leading to increased responsibilities for the remaining staff. This is just one of the many changes that have taken place.
The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has instituted new layers of review at the U.S. Forest Service, as it has at most federal agencies. This has resulted in a slowdown of processes, with a contract approval for janitorial services, previously a day-and-a-half process, now taking six weeks.
Similarly, a modification of an existing contract now takes about a month to get money out the door, compared to a maximum of 15 minutes previously. The revocation of purchase cards by DOGE has made it harder to pay for incidental costs.
The lack of approved contracts has led to a unique situation where employees, whose job descriptions make no mention of janitorial services, are being asked to perform these cleaning tasks. At some USFS locations, employees who work on wildland fire management are being pulled into cleaning duties.
Employees are being asked to do cleaning tasks without the proper equipment, including handling overflowing trash and picking up hypodermic needles. Trash is piling up and pit toilets are going uncleaned or unemptied at some U.S. Forest Service recreational centres and campgrounds.
Leadership at the U.S. Forest Service has no answers when issues such as the inability to pump toilets at rec sites are brought up. The added layers of review by DOGE have caused a wide range of functions to feel the impact at the U.S. Forest Service.
The Agriculture Department, the agency's parent organisation, is expected to issue widespread layoffs in the coming weeks. The USFS has sought to slash employees by firing thousands of newly hired staff and through offers of early retirement and deferred resignation.
On the other hand, an executive order by President Trump has led to a boost in logging activities. The USFS is boosting logging by 25% and making 43 million acres, or 30% of forested USFS land, available for that purpose.
The multi-function roles for firefighters, such as doing cleaning duties, was standard practice 30 years ago, but is not sustainable given the intensified threat of fires due to climate change. The available search results do not provide information about which authority grants approval for contract changes at the US Forest Service.
One employee said his team is not currently doing prescribed burns that the agency typically conducts. Processes that typically took minutes are now taking a month or longer at the U.S. Forest Service. Despite these challenges, the U.S. Forest Service continues to work diligently to maintain and protect the nation's forests.
Read also:
- Understanding Hemorrhagic Gastroenteritis: Key Facts
- Stopping Osteoporosis Treatment: Timeline Considerations
- Tobacco industry's suggested changes on a legislative modification are disregarded by health journalists
- Expanded Community Health Involvement by CK Birla Hospitals, Jaipur, Maintained Through Consistent Outreach Programs Across Rajasthan
