Bigger Cuts to Staff at Public Land Agencies Will Affect Outdoor Recreation

As the Forest Service and Department of the Interior move forward with their Reduction in Force (RIF) plans, the consequences for outdoor recreation, conservation, wildfire management, visitor experience, and access are becoming clear.

In March, agencies were ordered to undergo large-scale reductions in force (RIFs) with plans to be implemented starting in mid-April. At the Forest Service, more than 5,000 people have already left the agency through deferred resignations, early retirements, and voluntary buyouts, amounting to an approximately 25% reduction in the Forest Service workforce so far. This includes numerous recreation-related staff positions and around 1600 employees with wildland fire certifications. Some regional offices are rumored to be consolidated and reorganization efforts may bring the agency down to just three regions nationwide.

At the Department of the Interior, the scale of staff reductions is similarly alarming. The National Parks Conservation Association estimates that around 2,500 National Park Service employees (around 13% of the NPS workforce) are taking deferred resignation offers or retiring early. Vacancies—including at the superintendent level—are going unfilled, while regional offices and internal support teams are being consolidated across agencies. This means fewer planners, fewer budget and HR staff, and less capacity behind the scenes to keep public lands functioning day-to-day.

The Cuts You Can’t See—Until You Feel Them

Unlike the abrupt layoffs of probationary employees earlier this year, this latest wave of departures hasn’t generated as many headlines. Because many exits are voluntary—and often from administrative or leadership roles—they’ve attracted less public scrutiny. But the consequences may be even more severe and long-term. These are not just numbers on a spreadsheet. What’s being lost is institutional knowledge, coordination capacity, and trusted relationships with local communities and partners. Once this talent is gone, it will be incredibly difficult to replace.

The effects are already surfacing. In Wyoming, county commissioners are raising alarms about the Forest Service’s ability to manage the Bridger-Teton National Forest amid staffing shortages. In North Carolina, recovery from Hurricane Helene is being delayed as federal agencies struggle to distribute critical disaster funds. Volunteer programs are being paused or scaled back simply because there’s no staff to supervise them. And while wildland firefighters have been excluded from the staff reductions, the reduction in wildfire support personnel at the Forest Service will mean that the agency has less capacity—and less local knowledge—to manage wildfires as we head into fire season.

To be clear: no one is arguing that land management agencies are perfectly efficient. But it’s one thing to make targeted improvements; it’s another to arbitrarily cut a significant portion of the workforce at a time when visitation, climate-related challenges, and public demands are growing. Losing staff—especially experienced field workers and the behind-the-scenes professionals who keep the system running—poses a serious risk to our shared public lands.

What This Means for Outdoor Recreation

From forest closures to canceled trail work, the ripple effects of these cuts are already showing—and they’re likely to worsen as summer visitation peaks. While agency leadership has pledged to prioritize the visitor experience, the sheer depth of these cuts raises serious concerns about long-term capacity and care.

It also puts implementation of major recreation legislation at risk. The EXPLORE Act, passed late last year, and the Legacy Restoration Fund, which expires in September, were designed to improve outdoor recreation experiences, expand public land access, and fix aging infrastructure. But if there’s no one left to oversee those projects, process permits, or engage with local partners, those wins may never materialize on the ground.

What’s Next

Federal agencies are expected to continued implementing RIFs, meaning that we will likely see further reductions to public lands recreation staff. In early May, a federal judge temporarily blocked the Administration’s work to downsize the federal government. Meanwhile, the White House released an abbreviated version of the 2026 President’s Budget that proposes devasting and unacceptable cuts to public lands beyond what we’ve already seen implemented through RIFs.

 Outdoor Alliance is continuing to track these changes and raise concerns with lawmakers. We’re working with policy experts, agency insiders, and outdoor leaders to understand what these cuts mean for the future of recreation and public lands.

We’ll keep pushing for adequate staffing and funding so that our public lands aren’t just lines on a map—they’re places people can experience, steward, and love.

Take Action

Tell your lawmakers that public land access, stewardship, and recreation depend on a strong, well-staffed workforce.