Forest Service dismisses 3,400 employees following the passing of 'deferred resignation' deadline
The reductions represent roughly a 10 percent decrease in the agency's staffing levels.
TroibNews 
The U.S. Forest Service plans to lay off approximately 3,400 federal employees from various levels of the agency starting Thursday, as confirmed by two sources knowledgeable about the situation.
These layoffs will primarily affect staff members who are still within their probationary period, making it simpler for the agency to terminate their employment.
Employees involved in public safety roles at USFS are exempt from these layoffs. While firefighter positions seem to be safe, other jobs that support wildfire prevention efforts are being eliminated. This includes employees engaged in road and trail maintenance, timber production, and watershed restoration.
The timing of these layoffs follows the deadline for the Trump administration’s “Fork in the Road” program, which permitted employees to resign while remaining on the government payroll until September. The number of USDA employees who opted for the deferred resignation option is currently unknown.
The Forest Service has not yet responded to inquiries for comment.
These layoffs represent a reduction of about 10 percent of the agency’s total workforce, which stands at around 35,000 employees. This could complicate the federal government’s ability to manage increasingly severe wildfires and oversee millions of acres of federal forests and grasslands. Staff members in their probationary periods are typically those involved in fieldwork, such as managing timber sales and assisting in wildfire mitigation efforts, more so than their more experienced colleagues.
Other federal agencies, including the Department of Energy and the Small Business Administration, are also anticipated to implement similar staffing reductions.
The Trump administration, alongside allies at Elon Musk’s so-called Department of Government Efficiency, has been swiftly working to reduce government spending and decrease the federal workforce. The USDA has already placed employees who worked in diversity, equity, and inclusion roles on administrative leave. Additionally, the restructuring of the U.S. Agency for International Development has resulted in over a dozen employees from the Foreign Agricultural Service being placed on administrative leave with potential furloughs.
Navid Kalantari for TROIB News
These layoffs will primarily affect staff members who are still within their probationary period, making it simpler for the agency to terminate their employment.
Employees involved in public safety roles at USFS are exempt from these layoffs. While firefighter positions seem to be safe, other jobs that support wildfire prevention efforts are being eliminated. This includes employees engaged in road and trail maintenance, timber production, and watershed restoration.
The timing of these layoffs follows the deadline for the Trump administration’s “Fork in the Road” program, which permitted employees to resign while remaining on the government payroll until September. The number of USDA employees who opted for the deferred resignation option is currently unknown.
The Forest Service has not yet responded to inquiries for comment.
These layoffs represent a reduction of about 10 percent of the agency’s total workforce, which stands at around 35,000 employees. This could complicate the federal government’s ability to manage increasingly severe wildfires and oversee millions of acres of federal forests and grasslands. Staff members in their probationary periods are typically those involved in fieldwork, such as managing timber sales and assisting in wildfire mitigation efforts, more so than their more experienced colleagues.
Other federal agencies, including the Department of Energy and the Small Business Administration, are also anticipated to implement similar staffing reductions.
The Trump administration, alongside allies at Elon Musk’s so-called Department of Government Efficiency, has been swiftly working to reduce government spending and decrease the federal workforce. The USDA has already placed employees who worked in diversity, equity, and inclusion roles on administrative leave. Additionally, the restructuring of the U.S. Agency for International Development has resulted in over a dozen employees from the Foreign Agricultural Service being placed on administrative leave with potential furloughs.
Navid Kalantari for TROIB News
