The Forest Service says around 500 employees will be asked to move, primarily from the current D.C. headquarters. The National Federation of Federal Employees (NFFE), however, projects that around 6,500 employees will be directly affected. About 40 percent of those people hold “red-card” qualifications to respond to wildfires when extra manpower is needed.

The reorganization will also close 57 out of 77 research stations around the country. According to the Forest Service, closing buildings would reduce maintenance costs but wouldn’t eliminate research projects or positions.

In New England, eight research stations are on the consideration list for closure. Additional closures could be announced over the next two years.

“It’s a mess. It’s sort of like throwing everything you can in a spaghetti bowl at the wall and see what sticks,” said Mariko Yamasaki, a biologist who was director of the Bartlett Experimental Forest, located in the White Mountains of New Hampshire, until she retired in 2023.

Collapse can and often is a choice.