The U.S. Forest Service is moving its headquarters to Salt Lake City as part of a sweeping restructuring of the agency.
In a Tuesday press release the U.S. Department of Agriculture said the move will bring leadership closer to the forests and communities it serves. Most of the agency’s lands, partners and operations challenges are concentrated in the West.
Gov. Spencer Cox called the move from D.C. to Salt Lake a “big win for Utah and the West.” He predicts trail users could see “better, faster decisions on the ground” with the headquarters nearby.
In addition to its relocation, the Forest Service will transition to a state-based model that will shift authority closer to the field by organizing leadership around state-level accountability.
That means 15 state directors will be distributed throughout the country to oversee Forest Service operations within one or more states.
They will also serve as national leaders with oversight over forest supervisors, operational priorities, and relationships with states, tribes, and other partners.
