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The Trump administration is moving the Forest Service’s headquarters out of Washington and into Salt Lake City, Utah, as part of a broader push to shift federal agencies closer to the regions they oversee and reduce the footprint of government in the nation’s capital.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced the move Tuesday and said it will begin a sweeping restructuring of the agency, relocating leadership and redistributing authority across the country in an effort officials say will improve decision-making, cut costs and strengthen hiring.
The shift represents a significant structural change to how the Forest Service operates, moving top leadership and key functions closer to the western states where the majority of national forest land is located and where wildfire risk and land management demands are most concentrated.
“President Trump has made it a priority to return common sense to the way our government works. Moving the Forest Service closer to the forests we manage is an essential action that will improve our core mission of managing our forests while saving taxpayer dollars and boosting employee recruitment,” Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said in a statement announcing the move.
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Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins speaks with reporters before meeting with National Finals Rodeo winners and President Donald Trump at the White House in Washington, D.C., March 13, 2026. (Roberto Schmidt/Getty Images)
“Establishing a western headquarters in Salt Lake City and streamlining how the Forest Service is organized will position the Chief and operational leaders closer to the landscapes we manage and the people who depend on them.”
Under the plan, the agency will adopt a state-based structure designed to push more authority out of Washington and into the field.
Fifteen state directors will oversee operations nationwide, managing forest supervisors, setting priorities and coordinating with state, tribal and local partners. Each office will be supported by small teams handling communications, legislative affairs and intergovernmental work.
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Forest Service crews work to clear debris and reduce wildfire risk around giant sequoia trees in Sequoia National Forest, California, on Aug. 24, 2022. Forest Service headquarters are moving from Washington to Salt Lake City, Utah, as the USDA announces a sweeping restructuring officials say will cut costs. (Mario Tama/Getty Images)
The restructuring will eliminate the agency’s regional office system, with all regional offices set to close as part of the transition. Many administrative functions will shift to service centers across the country, while officials said frontline operations, including wildfire response, will remain unchanged. The changes are expected to roll out over the coming year.
The relocation builds on a broader effort by the Trump administration to move parts of the federal government outside Washington, including the relocation of the Bureau of Land Management’s headquarters to Colorado during his first term and the transfer of key USDA research agencies to Kansas City.
The administration has framed the moves as a cost-saving push to decentralize government, shift power out of Washington and bring decision-making closer to on-the-ground operations.
A Sequoia National Forest firefighter cuts vegetation to reduce wildfire risk near giant sequoias in California on Aug. 23, 2022. The USDA announced the Forest Service will move its headquarters to Salt Lake City, Utah, replacing regional offices with 15 state directors nationwide. (Mario Tama/Getty Images)
The push comes despite some high-profile proposals that have not materialized, including earlier discussions about moving the FBI headquarters out of Washington.
Utah Gov. Spencer Cox hailed the relocation as a “big win for Utah and the West.”
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“Nearly 90% of Forest Service lands are west of the Mississippi, so putting leadership closer to the lands they manage just makes sense,” Cox said.
“This isn’t symbolic. It means better, faster decisions on the ground. Everyone who depends on our public lands, from hikers and campers to ranchers and timber producers, will benefit from this change. Moving away from a regional model to a more state-focused approach strengthens federalism and helps the Forest Service do its job more effectively.”
