Forest Service Will Close Research Stations That Study Wildfire Risk

The U.S. Forest Service is closing 57 research stations as it relocates its headquarters from Washington to Utah, a move scientists warn will disrupt decades of wildfire and climate research. The shuttered stations have historically studied fire behavior, prevention, and the relationship between climate change and forest burn patterns—research the agency says will be consolidated but scientists fear may be lost or delayed. The closures come as the western U.S. faces escalating wildfire seasons, raising concerns that the loss of field research capacity could undermine the scientific foundation for fire management decisions. The relocation is part of a broader Trump administration initiative to move federal agencies out of Washington, though the specific decision to close rather than relocate the research stations has sparked criticism from the scientific community. The Forest Service has not yet detailed how research operations will be maintained under the new structure.