President Trump is taking aim at forest and wildfire research, sparking concern among scientists and state officials. The proposed budget cuts would impact the U.S. Forest Service, which has already identified 56 research stations for closure, including the Seattle smoke lab. This lab has developed critical technology for tracking wildfires and smoke, used by governments and firefighting teams.
The reorganization plan, defended by U.S. Forest Service Chief Tom Schultz, aims to save money by consolidating buildings and reducing the agency's $3 billion deferred maintenance backlog. However, critics argue that the plan would gut critical research and compromise the agency's ability to respond to wildfires.
State officials, such as Washington's public lands commissioner Dave Upthegrove, rely on the U.S. Forest Service's research to inform their wildfire response and are nervous about the potential consequences of the budget cuts.
