Forest Service Closes 57 Research Stations That Study Wildfire Risk
The U.S. Forest Service announced it will close 57 of its 77 research facilities across 31 states. The closures threaten scientific work on wildfires, droughts, and how climate change affects forests.
The U.S. Forest Service announced it will close 57 of its 77 research facilities across 31 states as part of a major reorganization. The closures threaten critical scientific work on wildfires, droughts, forest pests, and climate change impacts on America's forests.
Among the facilities closing is the century-old Pacific Northwest Research Center in Portland, Oregon. This lab conducted important studies on the devastating 2020 Cascade Mountain range fires. Research stations in Ely, Minnesota and Grand Rapids, Minnesota will also shut down.
The closures come as the Forest Service moves its headquarters from Washington D.C. to Utah. Scientists worry decades of research on fire behavior and forest health could be lost during the transition.
The Forest Service says regular forest offices and wildfire response teams will continue operating normally. But researchers fear losing the specialized science that helps predict where fires might start and how forests can adapt to a warming climate.
The timing raises concerns as another potentially dangerous wildfire season approaches across the western United States.
These research stations help predict wildfire risk and study how to protect forests from climate change. Losing this science could make it harder to prevent dangerous fires that threaten homes and communities.
The research station closures will proceed as the Forest Service completes its move to Utah.
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