The U.S. Forest Service is shutting down 57 of its 77 research stations nationwide, including key facilities in Montana, Oregon, and California. This consolidation plan, part of a broader reorganization moving the agency's headquarters from Washington, D. C., to Salt Lake City, Utah, will affect 260 employees.

Critics warn the closures jeopardize decades of climate change and wildfire risk research conducted at university partnerships and experimental forests. 57 research stations across 31 states face elimination, threatening science on drought, pests, and forest resilience. The agency claims the move streamlines operations, but scientists fear funding and expertise will be lost, potentially leading to less informed forest management decisions during record heat and drought conditions. Salt Lake City will become the new headquarters location.