“Caring for the land and serving people,” that is the United States Forest Service motto. For the second time in 2025, a significant number of USFS personnel are not doing either as they wait for the end of the government shutdown to continue preparing the public lands for winter. 

“Fall is a really busy time in the Forest Service,” said retired USFS forest manager Jonathan Klein. “There are jobs that aren’t being done right now and that is frustrating for everyone.” 

Klein experienced four government shutdowns during his career with the USFS and knows first hand that frustration they can bring. 

“People who join the Forest Service are mission driven,” he said. “Most are idealists. People wanting to make a difference.” 

“These are the people who are responsible for caring for our greatest asset as Americans, our public lands,” he continued. “Right now they are sitting aside while their work is not getting done.” Klein also pointed out that hunting season brings a lot of people onto National Forest lands. "In much of the District, it's the busiest time of year," he said, "and a critical time to have personnel in the field to educate and assist hunters, and enforce regulations."

A call to the Madison Ranger District to inquire about the work being and not being done was met with a recorded message explaining that the office is closed due to the government shutdown. A call to the Beaverhead Deerlodge National Forest Supervisor’s office was met with a similar message. An email to the Beaverhead Deerlodge public information officer did not receive a response before the deadline. 

A source with connections to the Madison Ranger District who spoke on the condition of anonymity reported that the wildfire teams and only four additional staff members have been deemed essential during the shutdown.  Those four staff members include one biologist, one administrator who works on fire operations and counts and deposits fees, one district ranger and one recreational staff member who is responsible for managing almost 30 outhouses and the rest of the roughly 880,000 acres in the district. It is expected that the staffing levels are similar across the ranger districts that manage the over three million acres that make up the Beaverhead Deerlodge National Forest. 

A visit to www.fs.usda.gov/r01/beaverhead-deerlodge, the official website of Beaverhead Deerlodge National Forest brought viewers to a homepage with the following alert at the top of the page. 

“The Radical Left Democrats shut down the government. This government website will be updated periodically during the funding lapse for mission critical functions. President Trump has made it clear he wants to keep the government open and support those who feed, fuel, and clothe the American people. For information on recreation site status on National Forest System lands, please visit https://www.fs.usda.gov/visit.”

This message has been seen across a variety of government websites. Klein and others don’t feel that a partisan political message has a place on a USFS website where people from all walks of life and political ideals go to connect with the stewards of their public lands. 

“The Forest Service isn’t red or blue, it’s green,” he states. “Members of the Forest Service manage these resources for all of the American people.” Klein goes on to point out the different ways that people who may come from different political viewpoints utilize the national forests including hunting, recreation, grazing, conservation, timber and energy production to illustrate that the work undertaken by the USFS  benefits everyone. 

Jan Bowey, who retired from the USFS and has gone on to be part of the Sheridan Town Commission chimed in with her take on the messaging. 

“That banner horrifies me,” she said.  “There is a very deliberate attempt to demoralize the federal workforce and the people who are good at their jobs will leave because they are employable elsewhere.” 

Klein agrees that the banner creates a difficult environment for the USFS employees and adds that the usage of the term “dead wood,” by President Trump recently on Truth Social to describe opportunities for permanent layoffs during the shutdown is likely demoralizing to employees who are furloughed and uncertain over their future. 

“These people are part of our communities and doing work that benefits all of us,” he explained. “We are seeing people with a lot of experience taking opportunities to get out of the Forest Service and I’m concerned not only about the loss of experience, but also who is going to want a career with this kind of uncertainty?” 

Bowey does not have a positive outlook on how this shutdown will impact the makeup of the USFS. 

“What you will retain to run the programs you desire is the deadwood, the people who no one else will hire,” she stated. 

 Current employees of the USFS are hesitant to share their view of the situation due to fears of retaliation, although according to a source inside the USFS the order not to speak to the press is inferred, not direct. One USFS employee agreed to anonymously share their take on the situation. 

“In this town, we’re here to serve the public, regardless of party,” the source said. “We love and care for this amazing beautiful place and we know the public does too. The messaging on the Forest Service website proves to me that civil servants are just a bartering chip. We’re trying to hang tough. We’re trying to stay the course. We are trying to uphold our oath to the Constitution.”

The source continues on to express personal frustration at the lack of stability they feel in the organization. 

“This is beginning to feel like an abusive relationship and who wants to stay in that,” the source questioned. 

The USFS budget is projected to be cut by 65% as part of the fiscal year 2026 federal budget passed this Summer. Wildland firefighting services are being cut from the budget entirely and transferred to the Department of the Interior who will manage the newly created U.S. Wildland Fire Service. The funding reductions have led many to a dire view of the future of the USFS. 

On March 3 Rich Stem, deputy regional administrator for the Rocky Mountain Region (retired) and forestry consultant to Madison County, asked the Madison County Board of Commissioners to prepare for the impacts of budget cuts within the USFS. 

“I think, as I’ve told you guys before, let’s fix it (the USFS), not blow it up. Right now we are on the verge of blowing it up,” he said at a commissioner meeting where he applauded the efforts by the administration to free up more resources for production, but advised the commissioners to prepare the county for changes to the USFS. 

The future of the USFS is uncertain at best. No one can tell exactly how the budget cuts and loss of experienced professionals will impact the future of the organization or the nation. Klein acknowledges that there is room for improvement within the USFS, but fears that there may damage being done now that could be irreversible. In closing, he doubles back on his respect for the people who in his eyes are doing some of the most important work in the nation, preserving our public lands that provide water, food and resources for the American people. 

“The people doing this work are not there for the money,” he said. “They are there because they love the work they do. Right now they aren’t doing it. For me, that was always the most frustrating part.”