U.S. Forest Service to close all research sites in Michigan; a state with 3M acres of national forests
There is the federal government announced All four U.S. Forest Service research sites in Michigan will be closed.
The state has three national forests totaling nearly 3 million acres.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced the closures as part of a “comprehensive restructuring” of the USFS “to bring leadership closer to the forests and the communities it serves.”
Michigan’s four offices are among 57 planned to close nationwide. There are two research sites in Michigan’s Upper and Lower peninsulas: Houghton and L’Anse in the UP and East Lansing and Wellston in Lower Michigan. A timeline for the closures has not been announced.
These research sites examine forest health, ecosystems, invasive species management and more.
Information on existing research facilities and research facility closures is available at: this web page.
USDA also announced that it will move USFS headquarters to Salt Lake City, Utah and open new regional research areas. Michigan will be served by an office in Madison, Wisconsin, which will also serve Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri, Illinois and Indiana.
“This is about building a Forest Service that is agile, efficient, effective and closer to the forests and communities it serves,” said Forest Service Chief Tom Schultz. “Effective stewardship and active stewardship happen where forests and communities are, not just behind a desk in the capital. Through this transition, we will strengthen our connection to forests and the people who depend on them, while supporting our people and honoring the commitment that has always defined our service.”
The announcement does not mention any changes to supervisor offices or ranger districts for Michigan’s Huron-Manistee, Hiawatha and Ottawa national forests.
USFS manages approximately 193 million acres of land in the United States.
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