To the Journal editor:

I am very disturbed by changes the Trump administration has proposed for management of our National Forests. These include transferring the headquarters of the Forest Service from Washington D.C. to Utah, closing regional Forest Service headquarters, and shutting down Forest Service research facilities and experimental forests. There are four U.S. Forest Service research facilities in Michigan, located in the Lower Peninsula (East Lansing and Wellston) and in Houghton and L’Anse in the Upper Peninsula.

Collaboration with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, Michigan Tech University and Michigan State University allows the Forest Service to use local expertise to better manage national forests in Michigan for the benefit of Michigan residents. This includes better understanding of local pests that threaten forest health and region-specific understanding of wildfire threats to our forests.

For example, the Houghton Forest Sciences Laboratory has 20 personnel with researchers studying how to improve forest health and productivity. These studies help improve our timber yield and benefit wildlife habitat management, which is important for game species. This laboratory is fully owned by the U.S. Forest Service, has no deferred maintenance and is on land leased for $1 for 50 years from Michigan Tech.

In addition to providing lumber and fiber, forest lands are important for protecting clean water and providing habitat for fish and wildlife. There are also many recreational opportunities, including snowmobile trails, ORV trails, hunting and fishing, skiing, hiking and bird watching. These forms of recreation all attract visitors that benefit the economies of our communities in the U.P. I am concerned that moving forest management responsibilities and forest research to a distant location will mean less understanding of how to best manage Michigan forests. Based on what has happened to other federal agencies, it is also likely that the reorganization will result in dramatic cuts to Forest Service staffing.

I would urge everyone concerned about these changes to contact U.S. Rep. Jack Bergman (202-225-4735), U.S. Sen. Gary Peters (202-224-6221) and U.S. Sen. Elissa Slotkin (202-224-4822) and ask them to do whatever they can to stop these changes. In particular, they should tell Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins to drop this flawed reorganization plan.