Washington, D.C. — Two research stations in Wisconsin are on a list of nearly two dozen U.S. Forest Service facilities slated to close, in the latest organizational overhaul by the Trump Administration.
Nearly 100 staff members affected by the closures will be relocated to the next closest research location, according to the Forest Service. The 23 research stations on the chopping block include facilities in Prairie du Chien and Wisconsin Rapids.
The announcement follows a broader restructuring effort as the Forest Service transitions from a regional model to a “state-based model” and moves its Washington D.C. headquarters to Salt Lake City. As part of that transition, the Eastern Region office in Milwaukee will close, shifting leadership to a Great Lakes/Midwest State Office in Madison.
Forest Service officials say the consolidations will save $16 million without affecting research and development plans. The transition will happen in phases and not affect the agency’s experimental forests.
Critics have advocated against the changes, including the National Association of Forest Service Retirees, out of concern that consolidation efforts will result in work disruptions, loss of expertise and less engagement with federal lawmakers.
Other criticisms of the changes include potential reduced public access to forests, threats to wildlife habit and hindered wildfire responses.
