Illinois forestry expert weighs in on U.S. Forest Service reorganization

SIMPSON, Ill. — The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced a substantial reorganization of the U.S. Forest Service, moving its headquarters to Salt Lake City and closing its existing regional offices.

According to the announcement by Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins, the move is designed to move leadership closer to the forests and communities it serves.

Chris Evans, forestry expert with University of Illinois Extension, explained the role of the Forest Service and how the change could affect public lands.

What exactly does the Forest Service do?

The USDA Forest Service is a big agency that works on multiple fronts. The most visible aspect of the Forest Service is the land they manage, including 154 national forests and 20 national grasslands across the United States.

In Illinois, we have the Shawnee National Forest in far southern Illinois and Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie in northeastern Illinois.

In addition to land management, the Forest Service also has a very active research program that conducts applied studies to inform management decisions; carries out long-term inventories to assess the nation’s forest resources and track long-term changes; takes the lead on responding to wildfires; and provides technical and financial assistance to states, tribes, organizations and private landowners.

With a reorganization of this scale, it’s likely that important functions of the Forest Service will change. What supports are you most concerned about?

Anytime there is a shift of this scale, there will be an adjustment period. I hope that all of the vital missions and services that the Forest Service provides will continue uninterrupted, but we will have to see how things shake out.

For forests of Illinois, the research being conducted by the Forest Service’s Northern Research Station is incredibly important, as it looks at oak ecosystem sustainability and invasive species management, two of the most pressing forest health issues in Illinois.

USDA leaders say moving leadership west will put them in closer proximity with the land they oversee. Where does that leave Eastern and Midwestern forest landscapes?

It is true that most of the land that the Forest Service manages is out west, but there are also a lot of national forests and grasslands in the Midwest and East. These forests are ecologically and culturally important.

The Shawnee National Forest, for example, is incredibly diverse with a wealth of plant and animal species, making it one of the most biologically rich places in the Midwest.

I was happy to see in the reorganization that there will be an operational service center established in Madison, Wisconsin, that will serve as the Great Lakes/Midwest State Office and an Operations Service Center. Illinois will be overseen by this office.

Do you foresee impacts specific to Shawnee National Forest in southern Illinois?

The Shawnee National Forest has a great leadership team in place and a very dedicated workforce. While we do not yet know the impact of this reorganization on the on-the-ground management of USFS federal lands, it is my hope that the Shawnee National Forest will receive adequate support.

Each National Forest has its own challenges and opportunities. One of Shawnee National Forest’s unique opportunities is its Natural Areas Program — 80 natural areas have been designated in the Shawnee as representing high-quality remnant ecosystems, places of high biodiversity and places of ecological and geological importance.

It is important to have enough flexibility within the Forest Service leadership to allow the Shawnee to continue its focus on these areas.

The Forest Service is just one manager of public lands in the United States. What is the intrinsic value of these public lands, in your mind? What is lost when these lands and their managers are threatened?

Public lands are just that, public and open to anyone. They provide access and opportunity for everyone to recreate, explore and experience the outdoors.

They also serve as critical habitat for many of our wildlife and native plant species and help clean our air and water. Many of the best remnants of natural ecosystems are found on Forest Service property.

What advice would you give to forest landowners in this moment of uncertainty?

This is a great opportunity for anyone, whether you are a forest landowner or not, to acquaint yourself with the public lands in Illinois. I would recommend touring Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie and the Shawnee National Forest or any other public land nearby.

For landowners interested in stewarding their property, the University of Illinois Extension has a wealth of resources available to assist.

Illinois Extension Forestry and other Extension natural resources and horticulture staff organize educational programming statewide, such as our “Introduction to Invasive Species Management” course and the forest stewardship webinar series, which will open for summer 2026 registration in the near future.

You can find these events and others, along with many educational resources and publications, on our website: go.illinois.edu/forestry.