U.S. Forest Service

Tom Schultz, the head of the U.S. Forest Service, is calling for wildfires to be extinguished “as swiftly as possible this season.” But aggressive suppression policies are widely believed to be one of the key culprits in the current wildfire crisis.

Prescribed burns can be a valuable tool when preventing damage from increasingly destructive and wildfires driven by climate change. These projects, however, require significant staffing and logistical planning, making their future uncertain as the federal government looks to slash federal agencies.

Environmentalists decried the move, but some in the timber industry say this could boost the economy and prevent fires.

Several former employees of the Bridger-Teton National Forest and other forests received emails on March 18 that have left them “cautiously optimistic” they may have their jobs back. But the uncertainty of the future remains.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture says it will reinstate thousands of workers laid off in February starting this Wednesday. That includes many hundreds of Forest Service workers across the Mountain West.

The layoffs come as Wyoming struggles with an affordable housing crisis.

New polling shows widespread support for increasing or keeping funding the same for the National Park Service and U.S. Forest Service. This comes on the heels of the Trump administration’s recent firings of federal park and forest employees.

In a letter to employees, Tom Schulz also mentioned studying forestry at the University of Montana, as well as taking a University of Wyoming class in environmental politics.

About 200 people were among thousands across the country who rallied to support the nation’s parks and forests.

There’s been little word from the higher ups within the U.S. Forest Service about the thousands of people who’ve recently lost their jobs, and the impacts this could have on the 193 million acres of USFS land across the country – until now.