(WLOS) \u2014 A sweeping restructuring of the U.S. Forest Service is raising questions in western North Carolina about how forests in the region will be managed moving forward.<\/p>\n
The plan includes moving the agency’s headquarters from Washington, D.C., to Salt Lake City, Utah, eliminating regional offices and shifting to a new state-based leadership model. The restructuring also creates a network of operations service centers and consolidates research under a single national system.<\/p>\n
Federal officials say the changes are designed to strengthen local leadership, reduce bureaucracy and improve how forests are managed on the ground.<\/p>\n
According to a Forest Service reorganization fact sheet, the agency will transition from its regional structure to a model with 15 state offices overseeing operations, including a Southern Appalachian office based in Athens, Georgia, which will cover North Carolina and surrounding states.<\/p>\n
WIGGINS CREEK FIRE IN SWAIN COUNTY REACHES 58 ACRES, 90% CONTAINMENT<\/a><\/p>\n The agency also plans to centralize its research program under a unified national leadership structure based in Fort Collins, Colorado, with the goal of improving coordination and applying science more efficiently to management decisions.<\/p>\n In a statement to News 13, a USDA spokesperson said the transition will happen in phases, with employees receiving guidance on relocation timelines and options. The agency said frontline operations \u2014 including wildfire response, forest restoration and recreation management \u2014 will continue without interruption.<\/p>\n But some experts and advocates in western North Carolina say the changes could have significant local impacts, particularly in a region where forestry has deep roots and national forests play a major role in the economy and environment.<\/p>\n “This restructuring proposal is heartbreaking because it is a politically motivated decision that is going to hurt communities across the country, especially here in western North Carolina,” said Will Harlan, southeast director at the Center for Biological Diversity.<\/p>\n Harlan said the region could be especially affected by changes to long-standing research programs, including facilities like the Southern Research Station in Asheville, Bent Creek Experimental Forest and the Coweeta Hydrologic Laboratory.<\/p>\n