The U.S. Forest Service reports it has surpassed its hiring goals for this summer’s wildland fire season, saying 11,550 seasonal employees are now either being trained or are ready to deploy. That figure is roughly 200 above the agency’s initial target and about 6% ahead of where staffing usually stands at this point in recent years.
Forest Service Chief Tom Schultz attributed the stronger hiring to recent pay increases for wildland firefighters. His comments come as Western states face unusually dry conditions and rapidly moving fires, including new blazes near populated areas such as Spokane, Washington. “I think the conditions we have are alarming,” Schultz told NPR. “But the Forest Service will be prepared for this season.”
Despite the agency’s summer staffing numbers, many state officials and former Forest Service employees remain skeptical that the agency is fully prepared, pointing to longer-term reductions in permanent staff. Since the Trump administration returned to the White House last year, the Forest Service has lost nearly 6,000 permanent employees through layoffs, buyouts and early retirements, according to the agency.
The Forest Service is also carrying out a large reorganization that includes moving its headquarters to Utah and closing or consolidating dozens of research facilities and regional offices. The administration says the changes are meant to place the agency closer to the forests it manages.
Washington state public lands commissioner Dave Upthegrove warned the staffing shifts could undermine wildfire response. He and other officials worry that cuts to permanent staff will reduce the pool of elite incident command teams that states rely on during major fires. Many of the permanent employees who left recently — rangers, timber technicians and others — also held “red cards,” certifications that allow them to pause their regular duties and deploy to wildfires.
“If we have a bad year for fire throughout the United States it could mean a shortage of these federal teams,” Upthegrove said. “We are preparing contingency plans.”
The Forest Service emphasizes that its seasonal hiring and training efforts will help meet immediate firefighting needs this season, but state officials and some former employees say the loss of experienced, permanent personnel could limit the agency’s ability to respond if the fire season worsens.