FACT SHEET: Trump Moves to Gut U.S. Forest Service as Wildfire Risk Surges

The Trump administration’s plan to restructure the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) will gut the federal government’s ability to properly mitigate, manage, and respond to wildfires at a moment when the risks are higher than ever. This is Trump’s latest move to weaken our disaster preparedness and response capabilities, putting communities at risk. 

TRUMP’S PLAN WOULD GUT OUR WILDFIRE PREPAREDNESS CAPACITY AT THE START OF WILDFIRE SEASON

• Trump plans to move the U.S. Forest Service headquarters out of Washington, D.C. to Salt Lake City, Utah, a hub for anti-public-lands advocacy, and to close 57 of 77 research facilities across 31 states. According to the New York Times, experts warn that this move could significantly scale back wildfire preparedness. 
• The U.S. Forest Service has already lost thousands of jobs to DOGE cuts, weakening our capacity to prevent and respond to wildfires. The U.S. Forest Service was disproportionately impacted by Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency and early retirement programs — losing 16 percent of its workforce in 2025 compared to an average 12 percent reduction across other federal agencies. 
• Understaffing at the U.S. Forest Service has already weakened our wildfire response. Last year, a crew leader on an Oregon fire reported that her team went hungry for several days, ran short of medical supplies, and had to scrounge for chainsaw fuel after support staff quit the agency during two rounds of “fork in the road” buyouts under Trump.
• Regional offices are closing in places where wildfire risk is growing. The loss of regional offices in the South and West will leave high-risk states to face intensifying wildfire threats with fewer federal resources on the ground.

TRUMP’S RESTRUCTURE PLANS COINCIDE WITH AN EARLY AND AGGRESSIVE START TO WILDFIRE SEASON

• The 2026 wildfire season is already outpacing recent history. To date, wildfires have burned over 127 percent more acreage in 2026  than the 10-year average, due to unusually warm spring temperatures, reduced snowpack, and dry soil conditions.
• Much of the country remains under drought conditions, amplifying fire risk as states recover from the costly 2025 wildfire season. In California alone, more than 608 wildfires have already ignited in 2026, while the state continues to rebuild from an estimated $40 billion in damages caused by the Eaton and Palisades fires.

CLIMATE CHANGE IS MAKING WILDFIRES WORSE — AND TRUMP IS PUTTING US AT RISK

• Climate change accounts for at least two-thirds of the rapid increase in fire weather in the western U.S. in recent decades. Due to climate change, the frequency and intensity of extreme wildfires have more than doubled in the past two decades. 
• Fossil fuel emissions are making wildfires more destructive just as Trump dismantles environmental protections. Almost 40% of forest area burned by wildfires in the Western United States and Southwestern Canada in the last 40 years can be attributed to the world’s 88 largest fossil fuel producers and cement manufacturers.
• Thanks to climate change, wildfire risk is expanding geographically. Recent fires in states like North Carolina underscore the growing vulnerability of Southern states like Texas, Florida, Arizona, New Mexico, Georgia, and projections show 32 million residents could face significant wildfire risk by 2052.