Jesse Grubb

On March 31, 2026, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Forest Service announced a wholesale restructuring of the legacy agency. In a move set to prioritize “common sense forest management,” Trump administration officials intend to centralize many Forest Service offices in western states. The reorganization will move Forest Service headquarters in Washington, D.C. to Salt Lake City, Utah.

In a collaboration between scientists at the U.S. Forest Service and Whitman College, two new studies are helping to fill knowledge gaps in previously understudied areas with the goal of promoting healthier forest ecosystems for both wildlife and people. The research follows two species of woodpeckers native to the northern Blue Mountains. The northern Blue Mountains of eastern Oregon and Washington have a long history of intensive human use and management.

As fire season winds down in the Northwest, firefighters and land managers take advantage of the cooler, wetter weather to begin preparations for the upcoming summer. Fall marks the beginning of the burning season, when firefighters intentionally set forests ablaze, starting small, low-intensity forest fires in the hopes of cultivating healthier and more resilient ecosystems.