In a controversial move, the Trump administration is cutting approximately 3,400 jobs from the US Forest Service and 1,000 positions from the National Park Service. The terminations, announced Friday, are part of President Donald Trump’s broader push to trim federal spending and bureaucracy.
The job cuts target employees in their probationary period, meaning anyone hired within the past year. They will impact iconic sites such as Yellowstone, the Appalachian Trail, Sequoia National Forest, and the birthplace of Martin Luther King Jr. Firefighters, law enforcement, some meteorologists, and 5,000 seasonal workers are excluded from the layoffs.
Concerns Over Park Upkeep and Visitor Experience
The National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA) warned that the job cuts, amounting to 10% of the Forest Service workforce and 5% of National Park Service employees, will have “devastating consequences for parks and communities.” NPCA President Theresa Pierno said that while hiring seasonal staff is essential, “staffing cuts of this magnitude” will take a major toll.
Kristen Brengel, NPCA’s Senior VP of Government Affairs, cautioned that visitors expecting a trip of a lifetime may instead find “overflowing trash, uncleaned bathrooms and fewer rangers to provide guidance.” The parks have seen soaring attendance, with 325 million visits in 2023 alone, up 13 million from 2022. Staffing has not kept pace with the increasing demands.
Sudden White House Spending Freeze
The National Park Service, like other government agencies, was blindsided in late January when the White House budget office abruptly paused federal grants and hiring. The order was rescinded two days later amid backlash, but agencies are now reevaluating their budgets and staffing plans.
Out of the 2.3 million civilian federal workers, about 280,000 were hired in the past two years. The majority remain on probation, making them easier to terminate compared to longer-tenured employees. The Agriculture and Interior Departments, which oversee the Forest Service and National Park Service respectively, said they could not comment on personnel matters.
Impact on Wildfire Prevention Efforts
In addition to parks and recreation, the federal funding freeze is hampering programs designed to reduce wildfire risk in Western states. Contracts for hazardous fuel reduction have been suspended and seasonal firefighter hiring is on hold, according to the nonprofit Lomakatsi Restoration Project.
The funding freeze has impacted more than 30 separate grants and agreements that Lomakatsi has with federal agencies, including pending awards as well as active agreements that are already putting work on the ground.
— Marko Bey, Executive Director of Lomakatsi Restoration Project
The spending constraints on wildfire mitigation come just a month after devastating blazes in Los Angeles that are expected to be the costliest in U.S. history. Senate Democrats are urging the administration to release the frozen funds and exempt seasonal firefighters from the hiring freeze.
Worsening Firefighter Recruitment Struggles
Riva Duncan, VP of the Grassroots Wildland Firefighters advocacy group, said federal agencies are already struggling to recruit and retain firefighters. “This just exacerbates that problem,” she noted, as agencies have been unable to bring on hundreds of firefighters typically hired this time of year to prepare for peak summer fire season.
The Agriculture Department insisted that protecting people, communities, infrastructure and resources “remains a top priority” and that “wildland firefighter and other public safety positions are of the utmost priority.” However, the administration has yet to give clear guidance on if or when the hiring and funding freezes will be lifted.
- Federal agencies face major staffing cuts under Trump’s plan to trim government spending
- National parks and forests brace for reduced upkeep, services, and firefighting resources
