This fall was chaotic and dramatic. Historic winds, fires, civil unrest, and a deadly pandemic will define the fall of 2020 for most. For me, they all set the backdrop for a somewhat confusing, sometimes chaotic,…
This post comes with big thanks to our friends at Washington Trails Association who invited us to borrow heavily from their similar action alert! We invite you to scan the similarities and differences between Oregon and Washington in WTA’s article with a carbon copy for Oregon that we created below.
If you hike in Oregon, odds are excellent that you’ve enjoyed trails on U.S. Forest Service land. About 39% of Oregon (yes, that’s over 14 million acres of the state) is managed by the U.S. Forest Service. National forests contain some of the most iconic landscapes, popular campgrounds and beloved hiking trails in the state. Encircle Mt. Hood on the Timberline trail, hike along a National Scenic Trail like the Deschutes River trail, visit the Oregon Dunes along the coast, or backpack in the Eagle Cap Wilderness and you are enjoying some of the over 15,000 miles of national forest trails in Oregon.
Millions of visitors spread out in Oregon’s 14 million acres of Forest Service lands and 15,000 miles of trails. Photo by TKO volunteer leader Neil Cadsawan
A funding crisis is putting Forest Service trails, campgrounds and other types of outdoor recreation at risk. The U.S. Forest Service is currently making major cuts to its workforce that will reduce its ability to maintain trails, clean trailhead restrooms, collect trash and provide essential services.
BUDGET CRISIS WILL CUT JOBS AND REDUCE SERVICES
The U.S. Forest Service manages most miles of trail in Oregon:
- U.S. Forest Service has more than 15,524 miles of trail in Oregon state.
In contrast:
- Oregon State Parks manages over 1,300 miles of trails.
- Oregon Department of Forestry includes over 175 miles of non-motorized trails.
- Crater Lake National Park contains over 100 miles of hiking trails.
National forests are managed by the federal government for a mix of purposes including recreation, timber production, and preserving natural resources and biodiversity. The Forest Service has historically accomplished most of its on-the-ground work with temporary employees who work for a portion of the year.
A U.S. Forest Service seasonal employee walks alongside Trailkeepers of Oregon volunteers on the Historic Columbia River Highway after restoring sections of hiking trails in 2018 when the area was closed due to the Eagle Creek fire. Photo by TKO
The Forest Service currently has less money than it needs to cover its expenses and pay its staff. The agency has a deficit of more than $700 million. In response, the chief of the Forest Service announced that the agency will not hire any seasonal positions except those that respond to forest fires. This means cutting more than 2,400 seasonal jobs, including trail crews, wilderness rangers, biologists, and many other types of temporary staff.
BLOCKED TRAILS, UNSANITARY BATHROOMS & LACK OF BACKCOUNTRY SUPPORT
It takes a lot of time and effort to maintain Forest Service trails. Volunteers, including the thousands of people who power TKO’s trail parties, keep many national forest trails open. But volunteers are not the only ones in the woods fixing trails and clearing obstacles. Forest Service trail crews spend their summers in the backcountry. Each year, those seasonal employees accomplish about half of the trail maintenance completed on national forest trails.
When you hike on national forest lands next summer, you will feel the absence of Forest Service seasonal staff. You will likely see trails and even roads blocked by logs. You may notice small landslides and debris flows that bury your path or find trails covered in thick brush. At trailheads, you may find unsanitary bathrooms.
Here are some of the tasks that seasonal workers impacted by the cuts do for the Forest Service:
- Share information with the public about recreation and regulations.
- Maintain trails, cut brush, remove logs, build rock retaining walls
- Repair infrastructure including tables, signs, buildings and fire pits.
- Inspect trail bridges
- Patrol wilderness areas and protect natural resources from avoidable damage
- Conduct surveys of wildlife and collect other types of scientific data.
- Help control noxious weeds
- Assist in laying out timber sales and plant trees after a timber harvest.
- Maintain range structures like fencing
- Remove graffiti and pick up trash
WHY IS THIS HAPPENING?
This budget crisis has both long-term and short-term causes. Since the 1990s, the Forest Service has lost about 8,000 jobs nationally, including about half of its trail crew and forestry technician positions. Funding for the agency has not kept up with rising costs. TKO seeks to consistently advocate for the Forest Service, we are now teaming up with Washington Trails Association so that the Forest Service can hire more people to complete its complex mission. Recent events have taken the agency in the wrong direction.
- In the last few years, costs at the Forest Service have gone up but federal funding hasn’t. For instance, in 2022 and 2023, federal workers received cost of living adjustments to lift real wages to match inflation.
- However, Congress did not pass bills to increase funding for salaries and expenses at the U.S. Forest Service to pay for those wage increases.
- The Forest Service added employees as the agency works to implement projects that reduce the risk of forest fires, using funds from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and the Inflation Reduction Act, but that funding was short term and is not available moving forward.
- The U.S. House of Representatives recently passed a spending bill that would cut funding for the Forest Service in 2025. This bill has not become law, but the Forest Service is making cuts to prepare for a possible reduction in resources.
The result of all of this is a depleted agency that is making drastic cuts to its operations and searching for ways to save money in all of its non-fire-fighting programs.
WHAT IS TKO DOING?
Since the cuts were announced, TKO has advocated for the Forest Service to adjust their plans. Teaming up with 27 organizations in lobbying the agency to exempt seasonal positions that are funded entirely from outside grants from the cuts. Eliminating grant funded positions will provide little cost savings and disproportionately hurt trails. TKO is coordinating with nonprofit partners and talking with Forest Service leaders, Oregon’s congressional delegation, and others to explore additional long-term solutions.
Public lands need robust funding. TKO will continue to work with partner organizations from across the country to advocate for trails and ensure that everyone can enjoy their benefits. In 2025, Congress has the opportunity to invest in our country’s trails by reauthorizing the Great American Outdoors Act’s Legacy Restoration Fund, which has directed more than $149 million to help reduce the maintenance backlog on national forest trails over the last 4 years. We will work to get that legislation passed. At the same time, we expect the new Congress and incoming presidential administration to consider cuts to government programs including further shrinking budgets at the U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management. TKO will remain a stalwart voice speaking up for public lands.
HOW CAN HIKERS HELP?
Donate to TKO. Even if we can convince Congress to pass a budget and make drastic changes, it is apparent that already there are rippling effects that will delay winter storm clean up, wildfire restoration, and annual/deferred maintenance. Contributing financially to TKO will help us do more in this immediate time of need!
Can’t give financially? Make a phone call. Congress has not yet passed bills to fund the government in 2025. There is still time to avoid the further budget cuts and address the Forest Service funding crisis. Oregon’s congressional delegation needs to hear why national forest trails are important to you. Take action today.
In 2025, we need Congress to reject the Forest Service funding cuts proposed by the House of Representatives. This year and moving into the future, we need increased investment in the Forest Service to support staffing including seasonal employees.
The most important message for Congress is that hikers value our National Forests and Trails. Here is what that might look like in federal budget language:
- Congress should address the current budget crisis and invest in the U.S. Forest Service workforce.
- For fiscal year 2025, funding for the Forest Service is better in the Senate’s Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act than in the House version. Congress should use the Senate numbers.
- The U.S. Forest Service has an account called Recreation, Heritage and Wilderness which helps it manage its lands. We want to see $70 million added to that account — and we want to see a commensurate increase to the National Forest System Salaries and Expenses to cover the staffing costs to support the work.
Calling members of Congress is a powerful way to make your voice heard. Staff who work for elected officials keep track of the calls they receive and consider their constituents’ views when they decide what challenges to prioritize. A single call can elevate an issue. All members of Congress benefit from hearing that hikers care about public lands and want the Forest Service and recreation to be well funded.
It will only take a few minutes of your time to share your support for USFS trails!
Type Your Address at this Link to Get Your Congressional Office Phone Numbers
Recommended Talking Points
Hi, my name is [your name], and I’m a constituent calling to ask that Congress increase funding for the Forest Service in 2025.
I’m asking to fund the Forest Service at the levels in the Senate’s Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, not the reduced funding recently proposed by the U.S. House of Representatives.
Cutting funding for the Forest Service and its staff reduces access to the outdoors and our public lands and threatens to close our Forest Service trails and campgrounds. Getting outside benefits our economy, our health and it’s personally important to me because [your message].
Thank you for taking my call today.
