French Testimony at Senate Ag (video).
Here’s the written testimony. Items of interest. In general, this hearing had a much more professional and collegial tone than the House.. to be expected. I suspect that the Senate Ag Committee might be more collegial than ENR, but I don’t know that for sure. It’s more of a gentle, respectful tone of questioning and less partisan grandstanding.
FOFA (Fix Our Forests Act) is a bipartisan bill in the Senate, introduced by U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), co-chair of the bipartisan Senate Wildfire Caucus, and Senators John Curtis (R-Utah), John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.), and Tim Sheehy (R-Mont.).
Number of Employees and Changes Could be Clearer
According to this E&E News article, the FS is down about 5,000 people, and French said in his testimony that they had lost 25% of non-fire positions. I tried to put this together with the numbers in our previous discussion here.
In 2023, 3080 were added of which 740 were fire.
in 2024, 2780 were added of which 690 were fire.
So in two years, 23 and 24, the FS added 5860 permanent positions, of which 1430 were in fire? If we take, say, 28,500 (the average of 2018-2022), that would be about a 20% increase in perms in two years?
If I heard correctly, I think French said the total was 35,000 and so that would be 8750 positions. It would be handy if the FS would (when the last buyout is done) provided a spreadsheet or table which included the conversion of temps to seasonals and fire/non-fire positions.
Expedited Contract Reviews
Monday I posted “It seems odd that the FS doesn’t have an expedited review process within itself for safety and time-sensitive contracts and purchases, even if DOGE needs to review it.” As it turns out, they do have one. French elaborated that there were separate categories for disaster relief and time-sensitive contracts (the example was a seedling contract.)
Chris’s Request for Statutory CE
He asked the Senators to please make CEs statutory so the agency doesn’t have to promulgate them. Having done that with Limited Timber Harvest, I am 100% with Chris, if Congress knows what it wants to do, why make the agency do extra work? Especially in this time of fewer employees, smaller budgets, and so on.
Weirdest Question
“How would it be possible to do anything other than timber harvesting contemplated in this bill with those kinds of reductions?” Schiff asked. I think it’s weird because the Congress funds programs, and if they don’t want timber harvesting, the simple answer would be to … not fund it… And of course, Padilla, the other D California Senator, introduced the bill…
Invasive Species- Spongy Moth formerly Known as Gypsy Moth
I was surprised to hear in the hearing of a major concern over an insect species I hadn’t heard of. Of all the funds that were spent predicting future threats to forestsbased on climate models, perhaps we lost track of current forest threats due to invasive species. Remember the four threats of Dale Bosworth? Andy Stahl wrote this piece in 2010.
Former Chief Dale Bosworth had his Four Threats: fire and fuels, invasive species, loss of open space, and unmanaged recreation. Current (but for how long?) Chief Tidwell’s signature initiative was to be his “Four Pillars”: Restore and Sustain Landscapes, Protect and Enhance Water Resources, Jobs and Sustainable Communities, and Climate Change Resiliency.
But Tidwell’s pillars have fallen before construction even began because he wasn’t paying attention to one minor detail. His boss, Secretary of Agriculture Vilsack, already had “Four Pillars” — renewable energy, broadband internet access, responding to climate change and harnessing local food production.
Perhaps invasive species got lost in the shuffle. I know it has fallen off the radar screen of some ENGOs previously interested, or fallen under the rubric of “climate change.” Which is fairly untrue in many cases (think Chestnut blight) and gets lost in the climate generality shuffle.
About the President’s Budget
Don’t forget, the President proposes and Congress disposes. From 2017
“The president proposes and Congress disposes. Congress has the power of the purse strings. I’ve never seen a president’s budget proposal not revised substantially,” Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, said.
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Chief’s Letter: Our Next Steps, Planning for Priorities and Interim Operations During Workforce Reshaping
Thanks to Nick Smith for this link:
As I begin my third month as your Chief, I have come to fully understand the dedication, talent, and professionalism our employees bring to their work and our mission. These last few weeks have been challenging as we’ve shared our appreciation and farewells with many departing colleagues, and there is no doubt that transformational changes in policies and our workforce will continue to reshape how we approach this important work today and into the future. As such, we are implementing interim governance structures and operating plans to ensure proper and intentional coverage resulting from attrition and voluntary separation program departures, such as DRP 1.0, 2.0 and VERA. Plainly, the Forest Service workforce is evolving and will look different by the fiscal year’s end.
My intent is to share a general framework and priorities for the next few months as broader USDA reorganization plans are being finalized. It’s important to understand that these interim and temporary operational plans developed as part of this effort are not reflective or designed to inform broader agency reorganization planning. They are necessary to maintain mission readiness during the reshaping process.
Today, there are several working groups developing interim operational guidance to maintain critical services and support and ongoing work consistent with executive orders and national priorities. In short, we are focusing our resources where they are needed most. This means we’ll be exercising tools like lateral reassignments, additional training in priority areas, and introducing temporary oversight and approval structures for greater flexibility and decision speed. Below outlines our must-dos for minimum mission viability.
Firstly, we will ensure safety above all while supporting our agency’s readiness and response to wildfire suppression efforts. Everything else comes second. Eligible employees may be asked to take training and gain qualifications needed to support these efforts as we head into a potential “above normal” fire season for much of the West.
Next, we will focus on our fundamental work improving the health and productivity of our forests and related actions to support rural prosperity. This includes implementing the executive orders received to date that focus on active forest management, energy, minerals and geology. Lateral reassignment opportunities in these critical areas of our field operations are underway, and we will lean on our partners to assist in areas of greatest need. In addition, disaster recovery projects will continue since they help support economic recovery and community infrastructure needs, as well as improve public safety and critical access.
We have an obligation to provide customer services for visitors while maintaining safe, reliable access to our national forests. The outdoor recreation economy continues to boom with nearly 160 million visitors to national forests just last year, and we anticipate that statistic to remain steady despite our current workforce sizing. Be prepared to lean in and adapt responsibly. Lastly, we must ensure the “business” of our workforce remains steady and smooth by meeting supervisory responsibilities including timely paychecks and approving necessary travel, as well as coordinating training logistics for critical areas.
This week we will share details of our interim operational plans with the National Leadership Council, line officers and subject matter leads as we prepare to implement them. The interim operational framework is designed to ensure a continuity of operations while obtaining maximum flexibility and adaptability. We will adapt and step forward together. If there is an immediate need for mitigation, line officers should elevate through regular channels for awareness and proceed as indicated. Ultimately, adaptability doesn’t mean uncertainty—it means readiness. I’m certain these temporary measures will allow us to adjust confidently and deliberately until we officially transition into our future organizational structure.
In closing, I want to emphasize this agency will continue to evolve on the foundation built on generations of talented and committed professionals—it’s our duty to carry this legacy forward and adapt responsibly to meet our mission requirements for future generations. I’m proud to serve as your Chief and deeply appreciate your patience, grace, and flexibility as we navigate these challenges together.
Secretary Rollins on Hiring People Back
Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins told lawmakers Tuesday that she is planning to hire replacements for key roles across USDA after allowing more than 15,000 employees to leave through a Trump administration resignation program.
“Whether it’s [the Farm Service Agency, the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service or] wildlife firefighters … we are actively looking and recruiting to fill those positions that are integral to the efforts,” Rollins said at a House Appropriations subcommittee hearing on the White House’s fiscal 2026 budget proposal for the Agriculture Department. “We’re having those discussions right now.”
Job of the Day
Lead Project Forester, Colorado State Forest Service
Wildlife firefighters. Is that a new job series? Got to give it to Sec. Rollins-that’s a new one.
My guess is it’s her auto-correct (artificial unintelligence). I’ve seen wildlife where wildfire was intended many times.
As for the “Job of the Day,” here’s what ChatGPT had to say about the Colorado salary range of $60-65k:
“The advertised Lead Project Forester position with the Colorado State Forest Service (CSFS), at a salary of $60,000–$65,000, appears significantly undercompensated relative to its responsibilities and qualifications, especially when considering the responsibilities. The position combines field forestry expertise, program leadership, personnel oversight, interagency collaboration, and strategic planning—duties typically seen in roles that command at least $75,000–$90,000/year in equivalent government or non-profit forestry positions.”
ChatGPT doesn’t live in Colorado. Cost of living is lower here! 😀
I see we have a new euphemism for what DOGE is doing: “reshaping.” But picture a chainsaw.
Also a new mission for the Forest Service: “actions to support rural prosperity.” I’d be thinking about the Supreme Court’s new test of whether an agency’s authority is so-defined in a statute. I don’t recall “rural prosperity” being a multiple-use.
“if Congress knows what it wants to do, why make the agency do extra work?” Does Congress know (and agree) what it wants to do at the level of detail needed for a CE?