FEBRUARY 27, 2025|
Photo – US Forest Service logo – Bigfoot99 file photo
The message from the Wyoming Congressional delegation to the U.S. Forest Service chief who resigned Wednesday was clear enough. “Don’t let the door hit you on the way out.”
Facing deep cuts to his agency, Chief Randy Moore announced his retirement Wednesday. Republican Representative Harriet Hageman said Moore mismanaged the agency.
Moore announced he’s retiring effective March 3rd, in a message to Forest Service staff in which he disclosed that the cuts over the past several weeks have been “incredibly difficult.” President Joe Biden appointed Moore to the job in 2021. Prior to the appointment, Moore served as Regional Forester in the Pacific Southwest Region in California from 2007 to 2021, where he had responsibility for 18 national forests
Wyoming’s congressional delegation expressed no sense of loss but rather saw Moore’s exit as a chance to improve the land-use agency.
Timber sales—about 12 million board feet annually– financed the agency until the Bill Clinton Administration.
About 3-billion board feet are produced annually now while the agency still supports the same number of forest service employees—30,000.
Under the Trump Administration, the forest service is facing a 10% reduction of employees—about 3,400 jobs are on the chopping block.
Wyoming is home to eight national forests (about 9 million acres), in whole or in part.
